


Pokemon Sun and Moon: Champion of the Stars - Volume 1 (Main Story/One Year Anniversary Edition)

by MIS0



Series: Pokemon Sun and Moon: Champion of the Stars [1]
Category: Pocket Monsters | Pokemon (Main Video Game Series), Pocket Monsters: Sun & Moon | Pokemon Sun & Moon Versions, Pokemon Sun and Moon - Fandom
Genre: Champion of the Stars, Multi, Other, Pokemon Sun and Moon: Champion of the Stars, Pokemon Sun and Moon: Champion of the Stars (V1), Pokemon Sun and Moon: Champion of the Stars A03 EDITION
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-02-24
Updated: 2018-09-24
Packaged: 2019-03-23 13:04:33
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 34
Words: 97,110
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/13788339
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/MIS0/pseuds/MIS0
Summary: Hello! Welcome to the A03 Version of Pokemon Sun and Moon: Champion of the Stars! As it states on the title, it has been one year since this came out! So in honor of the first year of this series coming out, and still ongoing with the second volume still running strong and the third volume in development, I figured to make a better version of the first volume here for the A03 Audience. Want the original Wattpad ver? here ya go! @MiSo29.Welcome to the cluster of islands that are known to be Alola, where mysterious creatures known as Pokémon are seen to inhabit the land alongside humans from living as house pets, to journey and travel companions, to irreplaceable allies in Pokémon battles! Enter 11-year-old Luminaria Moon (or Luma), a girl who just moved from Kanto along with her Mother and her Meowth, who wishes to become a Pokémon Trainer and be the very best that no one ever was. Alongside the happy- go- lucky grandson of an Island Kahuna, a Mysterious Runaway (and her mischievous yet adorable Pokémon), and her Partner Pokémon (in which case a Popplio), the three journey on from battling thugs, completing Island Challenges, and uncovering secrets! Thus begins the legend of Alola's First Champion.





	1. Introduction

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> This is the Introduction to the First Volume. Please do not read this if you have yet to finish the game to stray from spoilers.

Hello, and welcome to the A03 Version of my fanfic series, Pokemon Sun and Moon Champion of the Stars. Unlike the Wattpad version, this version will be much more cleaned up and past errors such as grammatical errors (thank you Grammarly), spelling errors, or just adding more content. However, it will almost be identical to the one on Wattpad. Just for those who prefer A03's format more than others. As for the introduction of each volume, here is a set of ground rules I do have: 

1\. Although the name of the female protagonist is Moon, I thought it would be cuter for this particular version of Moon to have it as a family name. Thus the name of this particular protagonist is Luminaria after the small paper bag lanterns mainly used in my home of New Mexico during Christmas time (or Luma for short after the little star characters from Mario Galaxy.) Thus her full name is Luminaria Moon. 

2\. I tried to include every bit of the story from Sun and Moon, I was faced with some difficult times during the time I was writing Volume one. Thus, sadly only one or a couple of the trials from the game were included. But I will change that and actually include a separate series about the trials in a sort of OVA comic fashion on my Tumblr. So try to keep your eyes peeled for when that comes out. 

3\. Consistency will vary depending on the schedule I have at the time in my personal life since I will be editing each chapter. 

4\. I didn't notice this until I read through this again, but some characters really did get shafted in this story and I feel terrible about it. So I apologize ahead of time and promise for any future volumes that I will go more in-depth on those characters.  

5\. There will be spoilers from the main story of the game, and I mean some major spoilers. So please read at your own risk. 

 

With all that said, please enjoy this fanfic! 

EDIT 

Oh yeah! I almost forgot! I like to picture certain voices with characters that are... much different to the voices you may hear in the actual anime adaptation. So, at least in my opinion, here are the voices that I like to picture with each character  
*Note that some voices are actually much different than what I may have on Wattpad. 

\- Luminaria "Luma" Moon: Erica Lindbeck  
\- Hau'Oli La Aloha: Antony Del Rio  
\- Lillie Virdis: Bryn Apprill  
\- Gladion Virdis: Micah Solusod  
\- Rotom: Sam Riegel  
\- Professor Kukui: Sonny Strait  
\- Hala Aloha: Patrick Seitz  
\- Ilima Akamai: Vic Mignonia  
\- Lana Wai: Apphia Yu  
\- Hapu Aina: Sarah Ann Williams  
\- Kiawe Ahi: Kaiji Tang  
\- Mallow Kaukau: Alexis Tipton  
\- Professor Burnet: Amanda C. Miller \- Olivia Pohaku: Monica Rial  
\- Plumeria Kaikuahine: Jamie Marchi  
\- Faba: Todd Habbercorn  
\- Violet Wicke: Tara Platt  
\- Lusamine Virdis: Karen Strassman  
\- Molayne: Johnny Yong Bosch  
\- Sophocles: Justin Briner  
\- Guzma Willow: Chris Sabbat  
\- Acerola Ali'i: Luci Christian  
\- Nanu "000" Anakala: Steve Blum  
\- Mina Pua: Julianne Alexander  
\- Kahili Nene: Lauren Landa  
\- Mother/Lucia Sun: Carrie Keranen  
\- Mysterious Man (Chapter 30): Ben Diskin  
\- Mysterious Woman (Chapter 23): Jessica Nigiri

ANOTHER THING! 

Did I mention that I’m a sucker for Anime openings... Well... thought I’d add some... first opening from Chapter 1-16(?) is “Hello, World!” From BUMP OF CHICKEN, while the second opening will be “Kyoran, Hey Kids!” (Ohh I hope I got this right) from The Oral Cigarettes.

Here some links if you’d like to check them out: 

https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=rOU4YiuaxAM

https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=C-o8pTi6vd8

As for endings... well, I have no idea... but if I do have a general idea, I’ll keep you posted here!


	2. Welcome to Alola

Narrator POV

Alola... the land of the moon and the land of the sun... an island paradise filled with Pokémon that's never seen in Kanto. But the ones seen in Kanto have quite the different looks here in Alola...

It had been less than a day that new people moved in near Ten Carat Hill. The property slightly empty aside from a couple of berries and simple furniture, items still kept snug in their boxes and a mother of two basking under the Alolan moon along with her trusty Meowth with a wide smile from ear to ear.

"Ahh, nothing is better than being under the calming Alolan moon!" The woman was at ease with herself but was seen to be slightly tired from the never-ending flight in the tropics. But that wasn't going to stop her from unpacking boxes and relying on her Meowth to wake up the youngest resident of the house.

"Meowth, go get Luma for me would you?"

"Meowth!"

With that request, the Meowth ran inside towards the door closest to the one it just entered and entered the room. Within was a Ditto plush covered in scratches and bite marks along with a desk filled with miscellaneous things such as a globe, a Pikachu figurine, and a book titled "Adventure Rules" that laid beside a steel band bracelet with a small star in the front.

Beside the cluttered desk stood a bed with a young girl sleeping soundly with a wide grin on her face and drool running from her mouth onto the covers.

"Zzzzzz..."

"Meow!"

The Meowth attempted to try using its "words" to awaken the Ebony haired girl but to no avail. She still slept away... Until it pounced from the floor onto the girl's stomach, landing feet first with a slightly annoyed look in its eyes. With that, the poor youth jolted awake with a yelp as the Meowth jumped back onto the floor standing on two feet.

"Oww... jeez Meowth... you didn't have to land on my stomach...", wiping her eyes and yawning from fatigue, she faced the Meowth with a very unamused look on her face.

????'s POV

My name is Luminaria Moon. But please, just call me Luma. I'm an Eleven-year-old who just moved to Alola with my Mom and her Meowth. We came for a change of pace and to get away from the city air of Kanto. Also because I was given the opportunity to become a full-fledged Pokémon trainer thanks to Professor Kukui. He was actually the one who talked my mother into moving here. Me? I just remember my mom constantly talking about it and how one day we should move here. So I thought about talking to a local Alolan who lived there and talked to the Professor, and we quickly packed our bags and booked the earliest flight.

Well, of course, I was jet-lagged. I mean you try to be cooped inside of a plane for what seemed like an eternity just eying at fluffy clouds, blue skies, and ocean. But enough of that, I guess mom needed something from me or at least wanted to know that I was okay. So I got off my lazy butt and walked out of my room, but not without slipping on the silver star bracelet that I got from my late father on my right wrist. My mom was waiting for me just outside my door with her usual grin, but she had quite the attire on with Alolan clothing. I wasn't even sure how... or when she got it, all I knew was that she had on a pastel yellow t-shirt with a mango colored skirt with white flowers and a green border and army green sandals. She also had a pair of sunglasses on top of her head. She looked like the fitting picture of an Alolan Resident.

"You were out like a light. You ought to be full of energy right now."   
She sounded enthusiastic. It's like the plane ride never even affected her! I am amazed... I just scratched my head and chuckled a little.

"Yep. I felt like I wasn't gonna wake up after that flight."

"Haha, you were always a little dramatic weren't you? So, are you ready to meet some Alolan Pokémon?"

"Ohh man, as ready as I'll ever be." 

I said that with a slight groggy tone but still tried to keep up with my mom's enthusiasm. Honestly, I wished I had it, but I have a feeling as soon as I step out of that door I'll probably be running around and admiring the surroundings.

After having a small chat with my mother, we heard a knock come from the door. I decided to go on and get it until I saw it open and came in Professor Kukui, the guy who was once on my computer screen telling me how great Alola and its Pokémon are is now barging in to our house probably to give us more information on what will happen as soon as I exit through those doors.

"Hey there, you must be Luma! I remember talking to you back when you were in Kanto. Good to meet you, Cousin!"

"Yeah! Good to meet you in person."

"So I'll bet you're tired after the long trip here to Alola. You feelin' jet lagged?"

"Oh you don't know the half of it, it's like what I and my mom were talking about just before you came here, I was out like a light."

"Haha! Well, we sure are a long ways from Kanto out here in Alola. It's still night time out here. Oh yeah!"

I looked out the nearest window my eye could catch, and boy was he right. No wonder I feel so groggy, it's like the moon never sets! At this rate, I may catch insomnia. Or maybe turn nocturnal...

After the Professor talked to my mom about this guy who's known to be the Kahuna giving me a Pokémon, she wished me luck on finding that perfect Pokémon before I left the door. When I did, the Professor told me to follow him to a nearby town and went on ahead. I was gonna go the same way as him... until-

Woosh

"Huh?" I turned around and saw something fly by. It was too fast for any regular bird Pokémon, and I'm pretty sure it was Yellow. I turned the other direction and tried to see if I could try and catch another glimpse. But then I heard Kukui yell from a distance waving his hand in the air.

"Hey! Is the heat getting to your head? Iki Town's this way!"

I walked towards him after that remark and we made our way to Iki Town. I'm pretty sure he also made a remark on how slow I am and told me to be a Pokémon and use my agility. But I mean, it's a place I've never seen before, I don't wanna get lost. We also talked to some of the folks along the way, they were pretty nice folks. Very lively too, and after a nice little walk, we made it to Iki. It's a small town with houses and a wooden arch in the entrance and a path leading somewhere, I just wasn't sure where it was leading though.

"This town is where folks come to worship the Pokémon that watches over Melemele Island, Tapu Kiki keeps us all safe and happy, see!" 

I kind of wondered if that's what I saw? Was it the guardian? Nah... it may have been a shooting star now that I think about it. But that's just a thought, so I tried forgetting about it and turned my head to a confused Kukui who seemed to be thinking to himself. Was the Kahuna not here? It didn't seem like it. He turned to me and called out my name. Pretty sure he wanted to talk to me about something so I thought I'd lend an ear.

"Luma! Do me a solid and go find the Kahuna! I'll wait around here to make sure we don't miss each other."

"Huh??" I looked at him with a confused look on my face and worry filled my mind.

"But, I don't even know who the Kahuna is? Or where he could be?"

He chuckled and looked at me with enthusiasm.

"The Island Kahuna? You can't miss him, he looks just like a Kahuna!"

"Uhh... that doesn't really give me much to go on, but I guess I'll go on ahead," I said with disdain in my voice and some butterfrees in my stomach before walking along the dirt path away from the small huts and townspeople. When I went ahead, I saw what looked like a battleground for Pokémon battles. It was a big wooden platform suspended with some stands and two sets of matching stairs leading to it. It was a simple battleground, but it was still pretty cool. But then something else caught my eye... or rather someone else.

"Really? Do you want to go up to the ruins? Okay but I don't know what you hope to find there."

There was a girl... she had a floppy white beach hat and long blonde hair with a matching dress and ballet shoes with a poke ball duffel bag which stuck out from her delicate attire... it looked like she was talking to someone but no one was around her... I saw her run up ahead with the strap of the bag in her hands. I was curious... was she the Kahuna? With that in mind, I took the same path she went through and walked along the dirt road.

"Huh... wonder where this leads to?"

I strolled through the path laid before me, turning through the curves, and climbed up the stairs. Before approaching another set, I see her again, but this time the bag she carries seems to have been trying to escape out of its prison.

"You can't come out! We'll get in trouble if anyone sees you!" 

Narrator POV 

The girl ran past the island statues in a quick manner holding the duffel bag close to her. An old wooden bridge was seen bringing two cliffs together being suspended above a running stream followed by a waterfall. The bag kept rustling on and on until a strange creature flew out of the bag and in the open moonlit air. It was a small cloud of nebula-like gas with a black face and yellow eyes and small blue cheeks. It also has two more clouds acting as arms and golden accents on the top and bottom of its form. The cloud smiled as it was free and flew to the middle of the old wooden bridge taking in the island breeze. The girl, on the other hand, was concerned and extended her hand towards the cosmic cloud.

However, it all changed when a flock of Spearow come in and attack the defenseless little being making it cower in fear as the Spearow flock around the being in a circle to ensure it will not have a chance at escaping.

Luma's POV

I walk up the set of stairs and found the girl standing in fear as she stood before the wooden bridge shaking like a newborn baby Pontya. She must've heard me when I stepped forward and turned towards me. I got a good look at her features up close. She was a lovely young girl who was probably the same age as me. She had such beautiful green eyes that were filled with fear and concern and some of her hair tied into two separate braids laying on her shoulders.

The poor girl was speechless. She tried to speak but couldn't bring herself to do so. I had no idea what to do, all I could've done was look at her and ask her one question that was on my mind.

"H-hey, What's wrong?"

I kind of stuttered out of concern and wished to listen to what this girl needed to say. She had her mouth agape and finally was able to utter a sound. And spoke.

"H-help... Save Nebby!"

I look at her and saw a cosmic cloud being attacked by a flock of Spearow. It keeps squealing and cowering in fear as the small bird Pokémon flocked around taunting it. All I did was look in shock and look back at the damsel. I looked down at her feet to which were seen to be shaking. It looked like she was in pain.

"Those Spearow are attacking it! But... but I'm too afraid to go out there! M-my legs feel like they might give out..."

Man... if only I had a Pokémon... I would be able to show them who's boss... but alas, I know I can't refuse her request. The poor girl was scared down to her core. So I went on ahead and walked on the bridge. I turn back to the girl and gave her my most reassuring look.

"Okay... I'll be right back."

I walked fast yet keeping a careful pace so I don't fall into a watery rock death. I felt the ground below me shake from every step I took. I thought I was gonna fall when I nearly fell flat on my face. I held onto the railing and tried getting my thoughts together and steadied my breathing.

"Okay... it's okay, you got this... just save the Pokémon and get out of this bridge..."

After having a small pep talk to myself, I looked up to the fear-stricken Pokémon... took a deep breath... pushed all my fears aside... and booked it to the middle of the bridge while screaming internally into a nonexistent void!

When I got there, I snuck my way to the small nebula and shielded it from harm while putting myself in its wake. I put my arm over my head to make sure nothing gets in my eyes or that hoping no harm comes to us. As soon as they saw me, they prepared an attack and tried clawing at me! All I did was duck down and put my head on the wooden ground.

'Oh great. This is it... the first day in Alola and I'm gonna end up dead in the bottom of a waterfall,'

After that though, I see a blinding flash of light building up below me and chased off the Spearow. Not only that but blew away the old wooden bridge along with them! Aaaand before I knew it... I was screaming and falling to my supposed doom. But then I see that same flying light in the sky from before and seeing  
It coming closer and closer and before I knew it, I was flying up and sent back to solid ground and laid beside the young girl from before. When I got a clear view of my savior, it was a Pokémon with a design I have never seen before. It was a spirit looking Pokémon with white markings, various orange articles, and its most notable feature being a giant yellow bird-like mask. All that we could've done was just stare at it with our mouths wide open. Before leaving, it let out a loud cry and flew back into the skies.

I never knew it at the time... but that was the day my life changed for the better. And I knew I wanted to become the best Pokémon Trainer in all of Alola...

But before I could do that, the girl had stuffed the cloudy looking Pokemon in her duffle bag. But not before she could give me a small shimmering stone. It felt warm as I escorted this girl down the steps. Carefully with a heightened sense of caution, she had finally reached the small unfamiliar town below the mountain where Professor Kukui and the Kahuna were waiting. 

"Hey! Luma! You found my assistant, oh yeah! Looks like you already met, but just in case, this is my assistant! Her name is Lillie!"

The girl named Lillie had bowed her head and looked straight at me. Her emerald green eyes catching me much like a Caterpie's string shot. 

"Nice to meet you, Lillie. My name is Luminaria. But just Luma's fine, too. I just moved here from the Kanto Region-" 

"O-O-Oh! U-Umm... did you really just move here?! Oh goodness, I'm so sorry to cause you so much trouble! Please forgive me!" She bowed her head once more apologetically with me accepting her apology with my hands waving in front of me and a crooked smile on my face. After accepting it, she sighed and kept her hands on the strap of her duffle bag. She's very... Interesting. But I can understand where she's coming from. After all, I'd be pretty flustered too after getting someone I just met to save my Pokemon. However, it seemed as though there was someone else who grabbed my attention as he let out a small cough, causing me to face him. He was a really big buy with a yellow kimono and a blue shirt and white shorts just under it. He looked like a sumo wrestler rather than a Pokemon Trainer. I would not want to be on this guy's bad side... 

"Your name was Luma, correct? I am Hala La Aloha. I am the current Kahuna of Melemele Island. The island that you currently stand on. However, before I give you your Pokemon. I could've sworn I saw Tapu Koko flying about...." 

From her flustered expression, Lillie had gathered her words in a swift yet ruffled fashion before finally speaking. 

"Y-Yes. Nebby wanted to go to the Ruins of Conflict and we ran into a flock of Spearow. Luma had bolted toward the bridge and saved it... But..." 

"But the bridge collapsed and... Tapu... Koko, right? It saved us from plummeting to our deaths. All it cost was the beanie I had. But it's nothing compared to this little guy," I finished when Lillie seemed hesitant to. Hala looked at me as if he was staring down a Rattata. I'll admit... I thought that falling to death was scarier... But I had to rethink my choices. But that wasn't the case when he let out a booming chuckle. 

"Ho! Although it is said to protect us, our Tapu Koko is a rather fickle creature. Yet our guardian was moved to save you. And for you to save a person or Pokemon in need even if you had to use your own life. I can tell you now that I will be expecting great things from you! Kukui! Kukui, my boy, I think we have cause to celebrate! It seems I should entrust this brave and kind young girl with a Pokémon of her own. We'll make a fine Trainer out of her!" 

'Whew... What a relief,' i sighed to myself as three Pokemon were released in front of me by the Island Kahuna, instantly taking my breath away a second time. The Pokemon here are so unique... But I can't choose... So I let Hala explain for me about Rowlett the Grass Type Starter, Litten the Fire Type Starter, and Popplio the Water Type Starter. But I... I don't know... I really did come unprepared... Oh, what should I choose... WHO should I choose? Oh..... But I figured. Instead of letting me choose the pokemon, I'll let one choose me. First off, I looked down at the Grass starter who stared at me fixedly. Yet looked away as soon as I made eye contact with it. It was almost as if it was trying to look away from me. The next starter I looked toward was Litten, who didn't pay heed to my presence at all simply just staring into space and laying on the ground. It looked as though none of the two starters seemed to have much interest in being my partner for my journey. I'm glad I didn't have to say the same for the Water Type Popplio as it stared at me sweetly. Holding my hand toward the three starters, Popplio instantaneously approached me, snuggling my hand and letting out small chirps of joy. My smile couldn't be held back as it came closer to me with a huge smile on its own face. quietly, I asked it "you really want to travel with me? You really wanna be my partner?"

Jumping into my arms, I quickly embraced the oncoming Popplio as it booped its' nose on my face causing a chuckle to escape my mouth as Rowlett was returned back into its Pokeball and Litten wandered elsewhere, unaware that my first rival and potential friend and ally would be near. With Popplio at my side, our journey had just begun!


	3. The Trial of Captain Ilima

Luma's POV

After healing my Pokémon and healing them in the Pokémon Center, and totally changing my attire, graduating from Pokemon school, battling my new rival and friend, AAAAAAAND battling two groups of thugs from a group called Team Skull.... Wow, this day is hectic, I approached what seemed like an entrance to a gate to the first trial; Captain Ilima's. I saw the Captain himself standing in front of the gate waiting for either me or Hau. So I decided to come and talk to him.

Ilima Akamai, the Normal Type trial captain who introduced himself in the Pokemon School, and helping me battle the first set of thugs from Team Skull, he really was a powerful and compassionate trainer. Although I did have a sense of dignity and princeliness from him, he seemed a wee bit... narcissistic? Either way, it was something to fit his princely attire. 

"Hey, Ilima! So this is the trial?"

He turned to me and smiled after looking at the new outfit I got from Hau'oli.

"Well hello miss, have we met before?"

"We have, it's me Luma. From the school."

He seemed surprised to see me with my new outfit and different colored eyes. But he chuckled after seeing the familiar watermelon designed back and metal bracelet.

"Oh haha, so you are. You have changed quite a bit the last time I saw you. Guess you did a little shopping? Well in any case..."

He turns back to look at the gate and proceeds to talk in a more serious tone.

"This is Verdant Cavern. That is where your first trial will begin; the trial of Captain Ilima! It is filled with many Ratatta."

"Ohh..."

"Once you enter Verdant Cavern, you will not be able to leave until you have completed the trial. Are you prepared for the trial?"

I looked very displeased once I heard that I couldn't leave. But quickly perked up and looked at Ilima with my mind filled with determination and my head held high.

"Let's do this!"

"Then I will be waiting for you!"

He then walked into the cavern as I followed close behind. Closing in towards the start of the trial. After storming in, I witnessed the cavern first hand and saw that it wasn't too scary. In fact... it was really pretty. Filled with cracks of light and plant life. There were also some small holes where I suspected the Ratatta to be in.   
I turned to see Captain Ilima facing me and giving me a proper introduction to the trial.

"Let me formally welcome you to Verdant Cavern! I am your Captain Ilima."

'It doesn't look like any other cavern I've ever seen... but this is Alola, it seems to aim to surprise...' I thought to myself.

"Allow me to explain the basics of my trial. What you should attempt to do is..."

He turned his attention to a wild Ratatta lurking around the cavern. When we quickly spotted it, it turned tail and ran back to its' den.

"Defeat three of the Pokémon that lurk here in their dens!"

"Uh... that's it?"

"Fret not my dear, there is more to it. You then must reach the pedestal deep within the cave and collect the Z- Crystal there! You'll need to be completely in sync with your Pokémon to succeed."

"Z- Crystals?"

"Well-"

"Kiki-ki-kiiii!"

I jumped a little after hearing that sound. I had a tendency to get a little jumpy when in a place I'm not too familiar with. You never know what may happen...

"Bwaah! What was that?"

"Oh dear! And there's one more thing I forgot to mention..."

I turned to him trying to look composed and without looking fearful at the sound of the Possible Pokémon.

"Many strong Pokémon make their home in this cave, but one stronger and more fearsome than all the rest, known as a Totem Pokémon, also resides here!"

"Woah... so then that call I heard was... the Totem??"

"Yes. Yes, it probably was... it will be the greatest obstacle when you participate in my trial!"

'Oh man...' I felt a shiver go down my spine, but quickly shook my head and mentally slapped myself.

"By the way, until you clear the trial, you will not be able to catch Pokémon in Verdant Cavern. This is but one of the seven trials you will face during your island challenge...  
And it begins now! The trial of Captain Ilima!"

He steps aside and allows the trial to begin.

"Okay so after this one, I'll only have six more to go. Including the Kahunas, I would have at least... like Eleven battles ahead of me... maybe even more... hee hee! I'm nervous but this is gonna be fun!"

I start running up ahead and began my trial! Although I was just battling Ratattas.

~Cue Ratatta battling montage~

"Whew! Alright, guys, two down and one more to go! Let's keep this up!"

I ran and saw a Pokémon running back and forth in its den.

"Bingo..."

I run to the den and saw that nothing was inside. I hear some noise from another den and ran to be a source of the noise. But alas, it kept running away. It took me a matter of time to realize that they were all connected and led to the other dens. But I was stubborn and just kept chasing after in any way...

"Get back here! Don't you run away from me!"

I kept running after it and was led to another one of the dens... only to see it escape from my grasp again... it did bother me a little if I was still having some fun... until I heard footsteps.

"Yo, yo, yo!"

"It's your Berry thief boys, back... back again! Remember us?"

I looked up and saw two grunts from Team Skull... they looked familiar though... Ummm... all I did was just look at them confused.

"Sorry, who are you?"

They then looked at me dumbfounded with wide eyes.

"Oh, I see..."

I then saw them switch places and stand the same way they did before. But this time, they seemed a little offended.

"Just 'cause we switched places, you can't tell who we are anymore?!"

"D'oh who cares about that anyway?! We're here to mess her trial up, yo!"

"Oh yeah, that's right! Yo, let's get that Pokémon, homie!"

Oh boy, guess playing dumb isn't really going to help my situation too much, isn't it...

"Ahh... okay I gotcha... you're here for my Pokémon again, huh? Well..."

I looked away from the grunts for a second and glanced at him only to see that one of them was approaching me. I tipped my hat so that he wouldn't see my face.

"What's up with that? Give me your Pokémon you little runt!"

I smirked and turned back to him smiling, trying to look cute, and changed my attitude a little while uncovering my face. Or maybe... I shouldn't be playing dumb... 

"Okay, I'll give you my Pokémon... but I need you to do something for me."

"What the what? What makes you think I'll listen to a little pipsqueak like you?"

"Well think of it this way Mister What's-your-name, I'm trying to catch a Pokémon who's being very pesky right now. So I was wondering if you boys could help a girl out. I'll make sure to make it worth your while..."

The other Grunt walked by next to his comrade and looked at him confused and turned to me.

"Think about it, if you help me catch this one, you'll have extra Pokémon from me! After all, isn't seven better than six? Cmon, what do you say?"

The two grunts look at each other and seem to be nodding in agreement. Ilima from a distance was looking at me with worry but I look to his direction and winked once making sure he got the message. He nodded back and watched the scene play out. I told the grunts about the Pokémon lurking around the cavern and told them to cover up the two other ends of the tunnels while I took the one that was vacant. When the Pokémon came to m direction, I jumped at the chance and brought out my Pokémon and proceeded to battle.

-small time skip-

"Well? What took you so long little brat?"

I scratched the back of my head and smiled towards the grunts... just a little longer though, I gotta make sure to keep up character.

"Sorry boys... it fainted, I was too strong... oh phooey..."

"For real?!"

They both looked at me and held their hands out looking annoyed.

"Don't matter, give us your Pokémon kid!"

"Or are we gonna have to make you..."

I looked at the Grunts' hands and back at their faces. I tipped my hat and covered my eyes to make sure they didn't see them. I smirked and pulled out a Pokeball.

"Oh... I'll give you something alright. Just know that you're gonna regret it!"

I brought out Poppy and prepared for battle. The grunts look at me baffled and annoyed.

"This little punk tricked us!"

"Why you little... Alrighty then, I'll make sure to take you down, numbskull!"

He then brought out his Drowzee and prepared for battle.

-after the battle-

"For real, yo?!"

"I can't get my skull around it! This kid's mad strong, yo!"

The other Grunt turned to the other and the two started panicking as I placed my hands on my hips.

"Naw, it ain't even like that. This kid is straight up dangerous, homie!"

"I don't know man... isn't this whole place trouble?!"

"Yeah! It totally is, homie! I mean, that thing is so strong that regular Pokémon doesn't even wanna come out and battle!" 

I got a bit jumpy after hearing about this "thing" that's really strong... I had one thought but I had to make sure.

"Huh?! Wait up a second! What's this about a crazy strong Pokémon?!"

The Grunts turn to me with wide eyes and panicked expressions.

"Yo kid! You know there's a mad strong Pokémon lurking back here somewhere, right? I'd run if I were you."

I thought a second to myself after what the Grunt said 'Wait a second, could it be...'

"Naw were not going out like that! We gotta get outta here!"

"For real?! Fine! I got no bones to pick with you again anyway!"

And with those that, they both ran away. But they did leave me a little nervous... but not with them... if my thoughts were correct, they may be talking about the Totem Pokémon...

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So yeah, figured to add certain last names to most characters. If you guys have some idea of what I could do for other characters, please feel free to tell me. It's much like the Wattpad counterpart, but I did make sure to add a couple of lines here and there. But until next time, stay tuned!


	4. A letter to the Sun

Luma's POV

Hello Brother,

How are you? Everything's really amazing here in Alola. Mom's been very chipper ever since I became a Pokémon Trainer. When I come home from my latest journey around one of the islands, we would always stay up for hours talking about my latest catches. I always remember the time I caught my first Pokémon, Pikipek. When I released it in the house, mom was squealing, jumping around, hugging me and swinging me around. And Meowth... well let's just say he kind of made a mess trying to chase the poor little bird around.

Anyways, the battles here are also pretty different here than in Kanto. There are these things called Island Challenges manned by these specific trainers which are called Trial Captains. I completed one of the trials in Alola, but I still have six more to go if I want to be considered the Island Challenge Champion. But I don't have just the Island Challenges to worry about. There's also the Kahunas who guard the islands who have trials of their own. They're known as the Grand Trials. So counting those and be a fact I was able to complete one and defeat the Island Kahuna of Melemele, I would have three more grand trials. Also, every time you do complete a trial, you get one of these little gems called Z- Crystals. They're like little gems you use on a bracelet called the Z- Ring to activate type-specific moves called Z- Moves. I remember using my first one on a wild Pokémon along one of the routes... I still have a lot to learn.

I'll explain later, but for now, this may be my last letter in a while. I'll be going to the next island to accomplish my next set of trials. I'll try to write to you soon when I get there. I'm hoping that we get to see more amazing sights~

And maybe no more thugs... I don't wanna pull off what I did in that trial ever again... I'll see you soon Leon, hopefully, you can visit us soon.

Alola,   
Luma

P.S: that's how you greet people in Alola, pretty cool right? I should start off all my letters like that!

Narrator POV

After slipping the piece of stationery in the envelope addressed to Kanto, Luma headed out of her house and onto the Marina in Hau'oli. Her mother sending her off with a kiss on the forehead and a smile on her face.

"Have fun on your adventure sweetheart. Be careful."

Meowth chimed in bringing the girl a gift to commemorate her send off. Funny enough, it was an Awakening. Probably to mock the fact that she is not a morning person.

"Haha, thanks, buddy", Luma says kneeling to the Meowth patting its head tenderly, and walking outside while waving back at them. As she stepped out of the front porch, she brought out her rider pager and summoned a Tauros, making her way to the Marina. She finds Hau on the beachfront and quickly waves her hand and shouting greetings to his direction, hopping off her Tauros.

"Hey, Hau! Ready to go?"

The boy turns around sporting his usual smile and returns her greeting with a waving hand.

"He-e-ey Luma! I just told my mom that I'm going to Akala Island next! Then she slapped me on the back so hard I'm still feelin' it and sent me on my way!"

"Haha, same here. Just without the slap though,"

"Do you think the boat's ready? It's the professor's own boat right? Let's go to the Marina and Check it out!"

Letting out a hearty chuckle, she smiled wide and turns toward the front of the sidewalk.

"Race you there, Hau! Last one there's a rotten Exeggcute!"

"H-huh?! H-hey! Wait for me!!"

And they were off, bolting their way toward the Marina.

-small time skip-

Pant... pant... pant...

The echoing pants and ocean waves were what echoed in the Marina. Hau was seen to be the victor as he waited with his hands behind his back as he kept his eyes on a boat with a patched-up sail and slightly untidy boat and made their way once the Professor and Lillie arrived. But before they departed, the girl with the bracelet felt a little uneasy... as if she's being watched. Quickly turning her head before going on the boat.

"Something wrong, Luma?"

The girl turned to the girl who asked the question and shook her head, making her way to the boat.

With their preparations in order, they made their way onto the next island... but unknowingly waiting for them is not just the Kahuna and the Captains of the next island. But trouble as well...

-Meanwhile at an Unknown Location-

The sounds and sights of rain covered a desolate town in ruin. Within the deepest depths of the town laid an old manor matching the messy graffiti and paint-stained walls and floors. In the manor, were the attempted berry thieving island challenge disrupting thugs along with the boss of Team Skull himself who sat on his throne with a treasure trove of Z Crystals.

"So you're telling me that some of my boys from the freshest team there was... were beaten down by some little nobody barely completing her trials?"

The boys shook uncontrollably from fear as they looked down busting rhymes of their failures.

"Y-Yo boss! You haven't seen the moves this girl pulled!"

"Th-that's right! She's on a whole new level! It's like all of her Pokémon are Totem Pokémon! I mean, she's whack! I heard she just moved to this region! If this Torchic really is that strong, I'd hate to think how strong she'll be when she completes her trials..." 

"Damn man..." 

The man sitting on top of his throne looked with a smirk on his face. Simply asking one question.

"Heh, think of it this way. Once a nobody always a nobody to beat down. Pokemon are what make people's strength, and if this little girl's Pokemon really is that strong. then think of the cred Team Skull will get in the region when we take them from her..." 

The two thugs fidgeted around looking at each other gathering their thoughts trying to picture the girl.

"Huh... That's our boss!" 

"Uh-huh-huh-huh, hell's yeah! She really doesn't look so tough, so taking her Pokemon will be easy as picking cherri berries off a berry tree!"

With a smirk on his face, the man had stood from his throne and sensed a presence coming from just outside the room. Thinking of the girl, they really had no idea what her name was. Only really the fact that her Popplio was strong... One that could even beat his team down. However, before Guzma could say anything else, another person had walked into the room. This time, it was a twin-tailed young woman who had a pair of grunts standing alongside her. 

"Plumeria. What brings you here?" 

"Thought I'd let you know more about this girl thanks to a couple of my sisters here who were passing by as our berry pickers were taken down by this girl. But thanks to some recon, they got word that she's going to Akala Island along with the grandson of the Kahuna. That and thanks to a certain Trial Captain and a bit of reinforcement, we know more about this girl," Plumeria proceeded as she collected her thoughts about the young trainer that intrigued not only the other surrounding grunts but the boss himself as he awaited the grunt's explanation as Plumeria walked away from the vicinity with a harsh hum as she passed another recruit of Team Skull. 

"We know her name is Luminaria Moon and that she just moved here from the Kanto Region. She really doesn't look like much than just your average joe! So...?" 

"What do we do now boss?" Another grunt asks the boss of Team Skull standing from his throne and looks at the door in hopes of gathering the attention of everyone from the manor. 

"You hear that?!" He shouts as if announcing to the entire manor.

"The girl that we're looking for who beat down our bros is a girl with a bracelet on her aside from a Z- Ring named Luma! If any of you lasses and bros find her, beat 'er down!" 

The grunts in the room had hollered in excitement gathering what Pokeballs they had and running out of the door. However, behind the door was a young man who listened in on the ramblings within the other room and held a stoic annoyed look on his face. Sighing under his breath, he walked away from the door and made his way down the manor. The silent footsteps of the boy echoed in the abandoned Manor as he kept his hands in his pockets. He stopped midway recollecting the information he heard from the thugs.

"Akala, huh?"

The boy furrows his eyebrows and his eyes are seen to be clouded not only with anger... but with hunger... A hunger to search for the strongest opponent.

"Let's see if she really is what she's claimed to be... Null."


	5. Pokemon Eggs and Sugar Sweet Memories

Narrator POV

After making their way to Akala Island, everyone went on ahead to their own journeys; Lillie proceeded to look for an old friend who lives in Akala, Professor Kukui went... somewhere, and Hau and Luma were on their way to the next trial which was located in Brooklet Hill near Route 5. But in order to get there, they'll have to cut through Paniola Town. During her time in Melemele however, Poppy had evolved into a Brionne, and Hau's Litten evolved into a Torracat. The two were seen battling each other as if they were in an old western. It seemed like the battle would go on forever for the two trainers with all the fun they were having... until a victor was chosen.

"Rowrr...." growled the Torracat as it fainted in defeat. The Pop Star Pokémon let out a squeal of glee raising its flippers up as it smiles, looking like it will take a bow. The trainer behind him ran up and picked it up throwing it up for joy, treating it like a child. The boy who returned Torracat in their Pokeball and walked up to the girl.

"Nice! You gotta tell me how you came up with that battle plan!"

"Haha! Maybe... but then it wouldn't be my personal style~"

"What??"

The girl then started to clench her abdomen and giggled a little while crutching down comically. Hau seemed very confused by her actions until she burst out laughing and turned to him "wiping tears" from her eyes.

"Haha... I-I'm kidding, I'm kidding, I'll totally show you what I've been up to, but it's been quite a pain to try and train up these guys but worth every little minute. Sorry, I didn't mean to sound like a jerk."

Hau then sported his usual smile and put his hands behind his head, but not before giving a hearty pat on the shoulder to Luma, while chuckling at her response.

"But ma-a-an that was some kind of battle! Our Pokémon looked like they had a blast too!"

"Yeah! I agree!"

"In fact, I'll share some of my luck with you, Luma," he said as he reached some items from his bag pack.

"Some of your luck? Well... I dunno, I've seen your luck in battle," she says giving a slight chuckle.

"Hahaha, well unlike you who grinds in between trials, I take time to find items, missy," he says with a somewhat unknown tone but still kept a smile on his face showing that he was kidding as he gives Luma a dire hit.

"Oh woah! Luck indeed! I heard from the folks here that these are very helpful! How did you get this Hau?"

The boy chuckled scratching behind his back. "Well what can I say, I'm pretty lucky. But hey, you know how the totem Pokémon are all like, surrounded by some sort of powerful aura? if you use that thing, that aura won't mean a thing! It's like cutting butter with a hot knife!"

Luma looked at Hau in awe after his little explanation. But then he relaxed his facial expression and faced the icy blue-eyed girl. "You know, Pokémon battles are just like, sometimes you win, some time you lose. But you're only a real loser if you're not having any fun while you're at it, right?"

The girl nodded in agreement sporting a small grin that stretched from ear to ear and placing her hands on her hips.

"Yeah... yeah, you're right, that's a really nice way of thinking things, Hau."

Hau looked at her and smiled back at her.

"Anyway, I'm headed off to Paniola ranch! I'll see you soon Luma!" Luma watched as he ran ahead, making his way to his destination while waving back at Luma. She, on the other hand, walked ahead facing countless trainers in her way and taking a message from the Trial Captain Mallow to her friend, Lana. She kept traveling far and wide of every inch in Paniola Ranch until she went into the Nursery.

"This here is an egg, will you take it off my hands? I want you to show it the world when it hatches and be good friends with it."

Luma took the egg with glee adding it to her party while carrying it around like a small child with their Poke Plush. She walked around a few laps around the ranch looking down at the egg. There were times she would sit down and stare at the egg, keeping her eyes peeled at the moment a crack would appear on the egg. There would even be times she would bring out her newly evolved Trumbeak (whom she changed from Piki to Trumbee) to lay on the egg. Even wanting to break the egg herself only to be stopped by her Growlithe (named Rowli). She wasn't really known to be very patient when it came to waiting either, which made her recall a time when she was very little and she and her big brother would be waiting for their mother to wake up. He suggested to let her sleep so that she can be well rested so that they can have more fun for the rest of the day. While the little girl kept pouting and tried running for the door to their mother's room and immediately get her out of bed. In the end, she woke up from their racket just outside her room and unsuspectedly tickled the two until they needed to get ready for the day. She then thought of the breakfast she made; (any kind of fruit) pancakes with (fruit) juice and tons of whip cream.  
She couldn't help but reminisce about those days before her brother became a trainer.

After remembering those days, Luma then started to pull out a small notebook from her bag and started writing down some notes while she had Rotom take some pictures for her Brother so that he can witness the beauty of Alola. But in the middle of writing...

"Zzzzzz... Zzzzzzz...."

Pat... pat-pat... nuzzle...

"Meowth.... five more minutes... I just wanna... Zzzzzz"

She slowly opened her eyes as she witnessed something with fluffy brown and cream fur with bulging brown eyes.

"Eevee!"

"Hmm??"

She slowly got up and saw the small Evolution Pokémon looking at her sweetly. Rowli being beside it and Trumbee slowly creeping from behind and preparing to peck the girl while Rio readied a water gun.... and the two made their move.

"Uwaaaah!! I'm up! I'm up! I give up!"

Drying her face, she looked a bit displeased while all of her Pokémon laughed at her reaction.

"Haha, very funny guys..."

Luma then turns back to the little fox looking Pokémon who had some eggshells on its little fur. She stared at it baffled, and dusted off the eggshells and picked it up.

"Aww... aren't you just a precious little thing! If I'm not mistaken, you're an Eevee, aren't you?"

"Eevee!"

She giggled as she let down the Eevee and all the other Pokémon gathered around it, making it feel welcome, while Luma smiles at all her Pokémon.

"Hmm... but what to call you... I can't quite think of many names for you..."

She pondered, trying to think of a name for the female Eevee... until she looked at it and spoke.

"How about V.V? Does that sound good to you?"

(A/N: either pronounced Vivi or V2)

The Eevee jumped around with its eyes wide and ran around in circles letting out cheers of happiness.

"Haha! Okay, from now on, you're V.V.- what hey! Where are you going!?"

V.V then bolted along the dirt road ahead of everyone. Luma looks at her alarmed and immediately gets up returning everyone into their respective poke balls and ran after the Eevee.

"Heeeeyy! Wait up! V.V!!"

-Meanwhile, somewhere along the path-

Hau's POV

"Heh! Guess I'm way ahead of Luma, maybe she's catching more Pokémon along the way. That could explain why her Pokémon are so strong," I say aloud as I walk along Route 8 with my hands behind my head. But Luma does have her reasons for fighting a ton of wild Pokémon, she may wanna fill up her Pokedex. That seems like something Luma would do, she already has more than six Pokémon while I have my Torracat, Pikachu, and an Eevee from the nursery. I was thinking of playing- I mean training my Pokémon before I go to my next trial until I see some guy in a bunch of torn up black clothing standing in the middle of the pathway. He was just standing there... he had  
one of his hands on his head. Does he have a headache or something? Whatever, I'll just go up to him like every other guy I had a battle with, there shouldn't be anything too different. I mean, it'll be like when I met Luma. When I walked up to him, he turned his head towards me and placed his hand from his head to his hips.

"Hmph... you look strong..."

"Huh? What are you talking about?"

I looked at him after he made his statement, and then he started walking towards me. He looked like he was a guy on a mission.

"So uh, who are you?"

He just keeps frowning... and now he's toward me... Is he apart of Team Skull. Jeez, he's scary. 

"Battle me. I won't take no for an answer."

~back at the beginning of Route 5~

Luma's POV

"Eevee!"

"Gotcha!"

I ran toward V.V and swooped in to grab her. Thank goodness, I actually got her this time~. I realized that I was up ahead from Paniola ranch and saw a bunch of trees forming a path. It looked like this path was leading me to the next trial. I was hoping to head on out towards my next trial, but then I see Hau with his hands behind his head grinning. I walked towards him and quickly put V.V in a Pokeball.

Narrator POV

"Hahaha! Man, I lost again!"

The boy who stood in front of Hau with a very displeased expression, placing his hands on his hips.

"Are you even taking this seriously?" He said as he looked at the jolly natured boy.

He then responds with a tone matching his all-around nature, "I am! So seriously! I'm seriously enjoying it!"

"Enjoying it?" Trying to process what he just said, the boy doesn't take a second to think and responds. "You can enjoy Pokémon battling when you put everything you have into it... which clearly you haven't..."

Suddenly, footsteps can be heard from a distance as the boy turned his attention to the sound of steady footsteps.

"What's going on over here, Hau?"

He then turns following the sound of the voice, seeing Luma walking in with a curious expression on her face, crossing her arms and eying on the current situation. She then sees the other boy in tattered black clothing with a red pouch and blonde hair seen covering one side of his face and a strand of it standing straight.

'That guy looks weird...' was her first thought after laying eyes on him and turned back to Hau.

"Alright Hau, mind telling me what's going on here? I'm kinda at the loss."

"Oh! Hey, Luma! This guy is plenty scary!"

"Scary wasn't the first thing that popped into my mind."

The blonde then looked slightly surprised as soon as he heard that name and started to take a look at her appearance

??? POV

Black hair, blue eyes, and a metal bracelet on her wrist... no doubt about it, this is the girl they're looking for...

"Hey."

"Hmm?"

She turns her head to me looking confused.

"Are you talking to me?" She said as she pointed towards herself. I needed to confirm my suspicions, but I know that that has to be her... that that's the girl I've heard from those grunts and people from the city... that that is Luminaria Moon.

"You're Luma?"

"Uhhh...."

Knowing someone her age, and someone who didn't move here too long ago, she doesn't look too cautious. But... she started squinting her eyes.

"Wh-who wants to know?" She says skeptically, slightly tilting her head.

"Hmm... you have enough sense to be wary. Not bad..."

She then placed a hand on her hip and was seen to be pouting.

"Sorry, but mind starting with a name or something, Mister?"

.... I let out a sigh under my breath... she's wary, but she's also slightly annoying...

"I'm Gladion, I battle for my partner Null to make it strong... though most of our time gets used up doing small jobs for team Skull..."

Luma's POV

'Oh great... Team Skull again... oh well, at least this guy looks more interesting rather than the other goons I battled with.'

"Now..."

"Hmm?"

"Battle me, I won't take no for an answer."

My eyes widened as soon as I heard those words. This guy... he just wants to cut right to the chase, doesn't he? But it all just sank in at once. 

"Eh? Whaaat?!"   
\----------------------------------------------

And thus began an unavoidable battle...

\----------------------------------------------


	6. Gladion the Team Skull Enforcer, An Unavoidable Battle

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Quick Recap
> 
> After roaming around Paniola Ranch, Luma received an egg from the nursery and attempted to hatch it. Not only that but also reminiscing about her childhood in Kanto until finally the Eevee newly known as V.V is hatched. When she runs off, Luma encounters not only her friend and rival Hau but the Team Skull Enforcer Gladion who seems to be looking for the bracelet clad trainer. With introductions in order, an unavoidable battle is about to begin!
> 
> "Eh? Whaaaat?!"

Narrator POV

She just kept staring at him. Dumbfoundedness in her eyes and a nervous smile spilling from her face. Meanwhile, Gladion just looked at her impatiently waiting for her first move. While Hau slowly stepped back to leave room for the two trainers to battle.

'Seriously?! A guy like him wants to battle me? Wait who am I kidding, this guy is from Team Skull! He can't be that different from the other grunts I battled, right? .... right?!'

"Hey, did you hear what I just said?"

"Y-yeah! I just need a moment to process this, okay!" She said in a panic waving her hands in front of her.

"Enough talk," he said while pulling out a Pokeball from his pouch. "Go Zubat!" He then throws his Pokeball bringing out his Zubat.

"Huh?" She said looking at the Zubat looking a bit more relaxed.

'Oh it's just a Zubat, so maybe he is like the other grunts after all. Just with an edgy choice of clothing... okay here it goes', she says as she gives a slight slap on her cheeks and pulled out her Pokeball.

"Okay, you asked for it! Go Trumbee!"  
Throwing her Pokeball, she brings out the giant Woodpecker who lets out a cry while spreading its wings. She could've used her Grubbin and used Spark on it to get super effective results. However, since it's a bug type, it's essentially a glass cannon against Zubat. But thinking about this isn't getting her anywhere, there's a battle going on and she wasn't gonna hesitate any more than she already had.

"Wing attack!" Zubat took initiative and readied its attack.

"Woah! Trumbee! Take the fight to the skies!"

Trumbee flies up and prepares to be preparing a swan dive down towards Gladion's Zubat.

"Now use Peck and go for a critical!"

She was hopeful that this would work until the Blonde made his next command.

"Dodge and use Supersonic!"

Zubat quickly made way for the Trumbeak only for it to take some damage from being scratched by its long beak but was still able to utter a sound towards its ears causing the bird to dive down head first onto the ground. Luma's look changes from confident to worried as soon as she saw her Pokémon fall head first onto the ground.

"Trumbee! Are you okay?!"

The Trumbeak stood up and shook its head off the confusion, giving a nod and a chirp to its trainer making sure she didn't worry. She sighed in relief and returned a nod to her damaged Pokémon.

Gladion, however, pointed straight at the bird allowing Zubat to get ready for its next onslaught.

"Bite now!"

Clicking her tongue, Luma punches the air in front of her as the Trumbeak stands straight and readies its' next attack.

"Dodge and use Rock Smash from behind!"

Complying with its trainer, Trumbee flies up and barely dodges the Bite and soon uses its move, although not very effective, it still sent it flying back to its trainer. But still getting amped up and ready to retaliate.

Hau couldn't help but look at the battle going on between the two trainers and their Pokémon. His mouth agape and his eyes surprised as the two flying types kept taking to the skies and attacking each other. Until the Zubat had had enough and flopped to the ground. Gladion clicked his tongue and returned his Zubat to a Pokeball and quickly pulled out another one from his pouch.

"Tch! I have to admit, I underestimated you..."

Trumbee flies back to her trainer and stands protectively in front of its trainer. Luma, on the other hand, was feeling slightly relieved but still keeping her guard as she saw the second Pokeball in Gladion's hand as he gets ready to bring out his second Pokémon.

"But now its time to end this. Go Type: Null!"

As soon as the Pokeball is thrown, a large chimera-like Pokémon with a copper-colored mask, green metal front claws, a black and grey dog-like body and a blue and silver tail fin acting as a tail. It stands ready to fight its opponent as Gladion is seen to have a more serious expression than he already did. The girl that stood in front of him was baffled. Her eyes were wide in surprise and kept staring at the new Pokémon that was brought out by her opponent.

"Hey, Rotom? What kind of a Pokémon is that?"

Rotom popped out of Luma's bag and pulled out some info on Type: Null. But not much about it showed up aside from its Normal typing, its appearance, and many question marks.

"Zzzt! I have nothing on this Pokémon! Never seen one like it, missy! Kzzzzrt! But we can safely assume that it's a Normal Type!"

'So if it's a normal type, then maybe I can keep Trumbee out just for a little longer. But... it looks like she'll go down any second... alright,' Luma thought and pulled out her Trumbeak's Pokeball, asking it to return and complied. Along with that, she brought out Rowli's Pokeball and threw it, bringing out the fire type.

"Alright Rowli, get ready! Fire Wheel!"

Rowli then runs at the chimeric Pokémon and purposely tumbles causing a furious flame to be created with each rotation and homes in on Null.

"Null... Pursuit." Null then rushes towards the rolling flame baffling both it and the trainer.

"Woah wait are you nuts?!"

The boy smirks slightly and turns his eyes to the girl.

"Don't underestimate my Pokémon. Keep at it Null."

The girl was stilled surprised at his approach. Until it dawned on her. Seeing the speed that Null was approaching towards Rowli and vice versa, her eyes widened as she took a step forward and started to get a chill.

"Rowli stop your attack! Your opponent's going to-"

But the warning as brief when Gladion's Type: Null ran into the flame taking a slight burn, but sent the Puppy Pokémon flying out of its tumble like a baseball bat hitting a home run. Luma's eyes widened as her look was flushed with a petrified expression in her eyes and her mouth sending out a gasp when the Growlithe landed but fell down to the ground in defeat.

Hau looked towards the defeated Pokémon and just stared wide-eyed gritting his teeth.

"N-No friggin way... that was a critical hit!" He exclaimed as he then turned his eyes to Type: Null.

"Rowli!", Luma exclaimed as Hau turned to the sound of her voice. She looked very worried.

"Hey, are you okay?!" Rowli slowly gets up and tries to stand, ignoring the pain it endured, but ended up falling to the ground.

"get some rest okay buddy. Return!"

Returning her defeated Pokémon back to its Pokeball, she faces Gladion as he glared at her.

"Okay, you got me there. But before we continue, let me ask you something."

He raised an eyebrow as he is questioned, holding his frown and glare towards the girl.

"I know we just met and I'm probably a little crazy for asking this, but..."

"Will you get to the point?" Gladion said in an annoyed tone that was meant to send chills down Luma's spine, but the girl held a serious expression which made him hum in confusion.

"Why are you working for Team Skull?" She asked with a gentle yet stern tone but continued on.

"Are you even sure that being with them will make you stronger?"

Gladion's look changed from a serious and collected look to a frustrated one.

"How would someone like you know? From the looks of it, you recently moved here from Kanto, didn't you? Don't go talking like you're familiar with me and what I've been through..."

The girl backed away and winced at his response, but closed her eyes and took a breath in, and exhaled.

"I'm not saying I know what you've been through, of course, I don't know, but I..." she paused as she looked at his expression. It was one that she never saw in a person before. 

He was angry. Gladion was staring daggers at her. She couldn't help but freeze up and stood silently.

"Just bring out your Pokémon..." the boy said in a slightly enraged tone.

The girl tenses up and snapped out of her frozen stature. She brought out her Pokeball and held it close to her and then brought out her Brionne, Rio.

"Let's go, Rio!"

Rio lands on the ground and faced his opponent as Null stood ready to defeat its next opponent.

"Now Null... use Tackle! End this quickly!"

Null runs at Brionne with full force ready to attack.

"Rio! Dodge 'em and use Bubble Beam! Slow it down!"

Rio barely dodges the incoming Pokémon and proceeds to eject a spray of bubbles, slowing down its opponent and lands in front of its opponent. The two trainers kept going on and on with their Pokémon. It was a very close match with Type: Null's strength, Brionne's power, and their trainer's determination driving them to victory. Until finally, the two Pokémon lunge at each other with their psychical attacks, and landed after taking initiative.

Luma, Hau, and Gladion looked at the two Pokémon as they stood idly. Until...

"......"

"......"

Thump...

"......."

"......"

"......"

"Tch!" Gladion clicked his tongue in frustration seeing his Pokémon to be the first of the two to faint and returned it back to its Pokeball. Brionne looks back to its trainer and jumps into Luma's arms and snuggles its head into the crook of her neck as Luma looked at her Brionne and hugged him tightly as she chuckled nervously.

"Alright, Luma! You beat him!" Hau exclaimed raising his fists high and jumped in the air.

Gladion, on the other hand, raised his hand toward his head and looked away from the victor annoyed at his loss.

"Hmph... it's not like me to slip up like that... I've gotta keep fighting stronger opponents. Looks like I'm not ready..."

Luma faced Gladion with a strange look on her face, wondering what he meant.

"Stronger Opponents?"

He then puts his attention to Hau who walks to Luma's side wanting to hear what was going on.

"That kid there, his Pokémon aren't weak, and sure it's fine to enjoy battling... but this brat...."

He looks at him coldly keeping his scowl.

"He's just using that as an excuse not to try hard because he can't beat the Kahuna. Because he can't beat Hala when he's serious!" He shrugs as he raises his voice toward the two. Luma tensed up a bit and clenched her fist trying not to sock this guy in the face. While Hau held his usual grin and making his usual gesture of putting his hands behind his head.

"You know my gramps? Wait you think I'm strong?"

Luma just looked at him with a shocked expression wondering if he even heard what he just said. But then, footsteps could be heard from the distance.

"Awww... look at you, little Gladion! Aren't you just a really cool guy? Heh heh heh heh...."

The footsteps belonged to a blue-haired boy and a pink hair girl from Team Skull. The two made the signature pose of imitating a skull. They were kinda goofy, but the two had intimidating looks locked onto the three trainers. But most of all on Gladion.

"I guess it's no surprise a homeless kid would turn out so spineless, too!"

"No worries, we've got enough backbone to cover for you!"

Luma opened her mouth but quickly gritted her teeth. The grunts turn their attention straight to Luma, who seemed enraged by their comments and looked down at one of her clenched fists, and stared at her bracelet.

"Hey, isn't that?"

"Oh-ho yeah... that's little miss bracelet girl, the one who beat down our bros from Melemele."

"And that's the Kahuna's grandson. Hehe, alright then... let's beat down these numbskulls."

The two grunts walked toward the two trainers in front of them. Luma and Hau readied themselves for the next battle but were quickly interrupted by Gladion.

"Just give it up already."

"Huuuuuh?" The Grunt turned to the blonde with a disdained look on his face. Hau relaxed and just watched the scene play out, while Luma was still on guard, but her face slightly relaxed. Gladion tilted his head to the grunt with a glare in his eyes.

"You know you can't beat me, you'll just get your Pokémon hurt for no reason." He turns his sights towards the girl who was still keeping her guard, but quickly relaxed when she felt his gaze on her.

"They're good Pokémon..."

"We came all this way and for what? For a big fat waste of our time! Thanks to you, if you hadn't got in our way, we could've stolen the Totem Pokémon at Brooklet Hill!" The female Grunt groaned as she faced the Enforcer.

'Huh, so that's why they're here', Luma mumbled to herself but then heard the crows of Murkrow echoing throughout the route.

"Let's get outta here, the Murkrow are cryin', so we should get flyin'." With that said, the female walked off with the male Grunt following suit, but not without stopping to say something to Gladion.

"Listen up good Gladion. The boss does like you that's true. But you're just some hired help we keep around for when we need you," the Grunt says with a serious yet spiteful tone.

"You're not apart of team Skull, not really, as you never will be... got it?" He continued.

Luma took a step forward with an enraged look on her face, slightly raising a clenched fist.

"Hold up a sec- uh," she stopped as she felt someone look at her. Gladion was glaring at her, it was almost as if he was telepathically telling her to back off of his problems. Luma still held an angry look in her eyes, however, but her mouth was slightly open as if she wanted to speak, but nothing came out but a puff of air. The Grunt followed suit and walked behind his female companion, leaving Gladion alone with the two youths. He clicked his tongue in frustration as he walked away looking forward and away from her gaze.

"I know there's more to you than just getting stronger... I just know it... so why?" She mumbled to herself and looked down at the ground.

"D'oh... get it together Luma... he's part of Team Skull! He's the enemy... But... Oh, no no no no!" she spoke to herself as both she and Hau had walked along the route for a Pokemon Center. When they did, they healed their Pokemon and Hau gave Luma a couple revives which would prove to be quite useful to her for the next trial.


	7. Water, Our Mother; The Royal Rumble

Narrator POV

The sound of clinking dishes and clashing silverware echoed throughout the Cafe. It was accompanied by the sounds of various trainers and children coming in an out to heal their Pokémon. But Luma on the other hand...

"hnnng..."

Only silence. But it was only because of the events that happened prior to her waiting for a cup of Tapu Cocoa and a tea snack.

-flashback-

Luma POV

"Hello, I'm Lana. I serve as the captain of Brooklet Hill. You look like an able-bodied trainer. Could I ask for your help with something?"

Looking at the petite girl standing before me, she didn't look like much. But something in my head just told me that something about this girl seemed a little off. But regardless, from the look of her flower shaped charm hanging from the tie of her pants, she was indeed one of the trial captains I was told to find and complete her trial. Agreeing to her request, she led me down to Brooklet Hill. After an hour or two battling trainers and wild Wishiwashi down the incline atop of a Lapras that Lana was generous to give me for my rider pager, we finally made it to the bottom of the hill. The health of my Pokemon was low, but I did what I could to heal each and every one of them with the medicine I carried in my bag, and walked toward the patch of sand along the shore of the waterhole, where my real trial would begin as the rain continuously poured down onto the spot we were standing on. 

"Luma... You've come all this way..." she remarked. But I felt like there was something missing; a trial gate. I asked her about it only for her to motion me with a twirl of her finger to turn around. I did as she asked and saw that I had already crossed it. My trial had already begun. But what it was... Well, I was about to find out. 

"Didn't you notice? Well, you passed the Captain's gate by my side. Which means that you will undergo my trial! And to clear my trial, you must defeat the great Totem Pokemon... Known as the lord of the ocean." 

I was confused at the time when she told me of the lord of the ocean. I had no idea who that could be aside from Kyogre. But for this little girl to get THE lord of the sea is really busting my Machops. But she did get something else that I would end up having a nightmare of later when I'd be finding a place to sleep. But despite the future nightmares, I held my head high and looked toward the waterhole in front of us mentally preparing myself for this... Lord of the Sea. Nodding, I was given further instructions by this girl. She told me that there was some splashing taking place and that I should check it out. I only suspected it being a Wishiwashi and nothing more. But a chill went down my spine when she told me that those Wishiwashi could come for revenge. But still edged me to get out there and check that splashing out. But as I hopped onto Lapras and the two of us swam toward the splashing, the rain came down like Meowths and Rockruffs as we finally reached the source. However, I wasn't too scared until Lapras started shaking. The water rippling from the surface below us rocking us back and forth. Back and forth. Before my brain could register anything of what happened next... A thundering roar had enveloped the area. Turning my head... I saw it. Rivaling it's screeching with my own. The Lord of the Sea. 

Long story short, it was a really tough battle. But my pokemon and I pulled through the skin of our teeth. But I was tired after what happened next. Confronting Team Skull after some sudowoodo were blocking my path, there was a young girl, who I would come to know as Hapu, along with her Mudsdale who was protecting a wandering Drifloon from some grunts from Team Skull. 

"You there, Trainer. Can you come to my aid? These scoundrels are Pokemon thieves. Are you on familiar terms with them?" she asked me. But when I looked at those grunts, it was almost like I was staring at a block of moldy cheese that was stinking up the entire refrigerator. But I still gave her my piece of the truth before defeating them and letting myself, Hapu, and the Drifloon free of this. 

"Oh, I wish I didn't..." 

 

-end of flashback-

 

Narrator POV

The girl just kept thinking about the gaping mouth of what came to be known as the Lord of the Ocean. Not to mention her Pokémon needed to heal themselves after being tricked into walking past the Island Trial Gate courtesy of the Captain and wasn't really given much of a choice, and the lot of Team Skull grunts who were just creating more mischief of herself and but nonetheless kept her team prepared with a couple of potions. Not to mention running into Team Skull trying to capture an innocent little Drifblim didn't help either. But when the subject of Team Skull came up, she thought of their Enforcer. With him in her thoughts, she softly groaned in frustration as she tried to get her thoughts together as the hot cup of Tapu Cocoa was served to her along with a Shalour Sable.

-time skip-

Exiting the Pokémon Center with a sigh, Luma kept her head held high and clenched her fist, raising it high in the air.

"Okay! It's time to get it together! Who needs giant man-eating fishes and road blocking Sudowoodos! It's time to check out this battle royal Hapu told me about!"

"Zzzzzrt! Yep yep! Let'zzzz go! My circuits are going nuts just thinking about it zzzzrt!" Rotom said after yelling as it escaped Luma's bag.  
She marched on and made her way to a big building adorned with a symbol signifying the battle royale ground. She stopped in her tracks when a familiar black sweatshirt caught her eye. Rotom flew out of the bag and looked at her with worry.

"Zzzzrt! What's wrong? Muk on your feet?"

She gasped when she realized who that person was after seeing his ahoge.

"It's that guy again, that Team Skull Enforcer..."

She looked at him with a look of worry.

"Kzzzzrt! Does Lil miss Luma have a cruuuush~"

"H-huh?! Don't be silly Rotom, I barely even know the guy!" She said waving her arms as a blush was spreading around her face.

"Kzzzrt! He's on the move! My circuits are all lit up! It'zzzzz electrifying! Let's live it up at the Battle Royal Dome!"

"U-uhh, right let's go."

The girl runs in and Rotom quickly follows suit. She quickly enters the large exterior and is welcomed into a lobby filled with many other trainers and their Pokémon, including Hau who was on the second floor waving like a maniac towards Luma, and the blonde who didn't take notice of her presence.

"This is pretty cool, eh Luma?" Rotom said with enthusiasm.

She gasped as she saw a Machamp standing with its trainer and quickly flailed her arm pointing at the Machamp.

"Look at that person's Machamp, it's so tough looking! A-And look that woman's Snubbull! Oh, man people are in for an ass kicking-"

"Hey hey hey! First off, language! And second, Remember why we came here!"

"Oh yeah, trying to make friends with... Ummm...."

Luma put a finger to her chin and looked up trying to remember his name. Rotom, on the other hand, had a sweat drop on its screen and sighed. 

"You forgot his name? Kzzzzt, wow Luma, you really don't know the guy well."

"Hey! I do know him... sort of. I... just forgot his name."

 

Luma's POV

What was it again? Glaceon? No that's not right, that's a name of an ice type. C'mon, think. It started with a "G"... Dang. I can't believe I forgot his name...  
I kept thinking while slowly approaching him but quickly stopped at the sound of loud obnoxious laughter. I quickly turned my head to the source and see someone in a wrestler mask and no shirt. Not to mention black pants with various colored Pokeballs and white knee-high boots that really tie the wrestler get up together. Rotom quickly retreated in her bag as he heard the laughter.

"Glad you could make it!"

He walked down from the second floor onto a set of stairs and immediately turned his attention to me.

"I'm here today, yeah, to spread the word, oh yeah, about Battle Royal! They call me..."

He then dramatically placed his hands on his hips and puffed his chest out like a superhero in a comic book and continued on.

"The Masked Royal! Woo!"

I then realized his physique and use of words, connecting two and two together; that's the Professor...

"Umm Professor Kukui? Is that y-"

He immediately ran towards me and practically gave me the scare of a lifetime.

"The Masked Royal!"

"Wah!" I stumbled down in shock and fell on my ass, cursing "hot damn," under my breath in the process.

"I'm here teach you, oh yeah, about the battle format passed down in Alola for generations.... the Pokémon Battle Royal, Woo!"

I got up and rubbed my backside from the impact of the floor processing what in the world is going on right now.

"Umm Professor this is nice and all bu-"

"'But Royal, what's the battle royal,' you ask?"

'Oh we're taking this route, great...' I thought as I was interrupted again...

"Four trainers! Four trainers, yeah, each pick three Pokémon, yeah, for one big Pokémon battle! Oh yeah! When one trainer's team can't battle anymore, yeah, the Battle Royal ends! Whichever trainer has taken out the most Pokémon, yeah, and had the most Pokémon left will emerge the winner, woo!"

Oh man, now that does sound exciting the way he puts it. Even though he kind of looks weird.

"First, just give it a shot! Pick your Pokémon, and let's do this!"

From above, I hear squeals of excitement coming from the optimist I've called my rival.

"Dude! It's the Masked Royal! I wanna battle! I wanna battle!"

Hau... don't you realize that that's the Professor?? Ohh never mind...

"Okay, then profes- I mean Masked Royal, let's do this!"

I stomped right foot forward and smirked at the "Masked Royal" and decided to play along with his little charade as he nodded to me and Hau. But there were only three of us, I wondered who the fourth person was gonna be?

"You there! Come join in the fun!" He said, turning to the enforcer. He glances at the Professor. Oh, shoot! I forgot the last time we battled, he got really upset with me.... not to mention, I still forgot his name!

I just waved with a silly grin on my face and my eyes closed.

"Heh, hi uhh-"

"I'll be in the mix too, yeah, and now we have our foursome with the Masked Royal, Hau, Luma, and uhh..."

"Gladion..."

'Son of a bitch, I knew it started with a "G!"' I thought to myself. Quickly ignoring what the Professor just said.

"What?! What's he doing here?!" Hau quickly squealed and ran straight down towards the rest of us.

"Discovery! New experiences! Adventure! It's all yours if you want it! It's time for a Pokémon Battle Royal! Ready... fight!"

With that, the "Masked Royal" booked it straight to the doors along with Hau trailing behind. It was just me and Gladion who were left, I shot a confused look at him and quickly giggled nervously. He just looked ahead and walked to the field, leaving me behind trying to process all that just occurred. But quickly made way to the door like the others. 

 

-In the battlefield-

 

Narrator POV

"We're in the Battle Royal Dome, home of the Battle Royals, the dome is packed and filled with excitement! Now here come our contenders!"

The crowd cheers on!

"First in the green corner, a bracelet clad trainer who made contact with the Melemele island guardian, and her Brionne with more spunk than a Pom Pom style Oricorio in a tsunami! The shooting star from far far away, Luma Moon!!"

The crowd roars with ferocity as the girl had looked at the roaring crowd. 

"Next in the yellow corner, a local trainer from Melemele with a smile that not even Pikachus can resist, with a Torracat that has more flare than Team Flare on Halloween! Alola's Rising Sun, Hau La Aloha!!"

The crowd keeps cheering as the young man had hopped up and down in a cheery fashion. 

"Then in the blue corner returning to the field, a runaway with more edge than the Pokémon of nightmares itself, and an enigmatic Type: Null we know nothing about! The Mysterious Enforcer from out of nowhere, Gladion!!"

The crowd keeps cheering! Even though the Enforcer seemed unamused with his hand on his head. 

"And finally, the man you've all been waiting for... in the red corner, with the strength of a Machamp, speed like a Weavile, and the Rockruff with the charm of a Sylveon and moves like Kiawe! You all know and love him! The Masked Royal!!"

The crowd was hyped! They kept cheering for the "Masked Royal" more than they had for the other three contestants. Even resorting to chanting his name. He waved his arms around to his fans showing his support. While the others were reacting to their given titles.

"Tch! I told them to quit it with the titles..." Gladion crossed his arms looking displeased.

"Shooting star I kinda like but what's up with everyone and my bracelet?" Luma said looking confused with her eyes peeled on her bracelet.  
Hau looked very happy with stars in his eyes. 

"Wow, do they really think I'm cuter than a Pikachu?" 

"With our four trainers set on stage, the Battle Royal starts now!"

Ding ding ding!

With the three chimes of the bell, the four Pokémon were all brought out to the open!  
The four trainers battled to their heart's content! It was a close match with Type: Null's strength, Torracat's determination, Rockruff's Precision, and Brionne's power.  
Royal's POV

Maaaaan... I knew these kids were tough, but they really are pulling all the stops in this battle! Wonder what they all have planned?

 

Hau's POV

'Hoo-wee! This is getting really fun! Wonder what's gonna happen next?? Maybe I'll attack Gladion's Null? I know I can't attack Rio... or maybe... aww I dunno who attack...' I kept thinking about who would be easier to attack. I know that Rio is resistant to fire attacks, but maybe... I kept scratching my head wondering who's gonna be my target until I took a look at Rockruff.

'maybe I'll attack Rockruff. Yeah, that'll work!'

 

Gladion's POV

'This is it, They're all fatigued. I just need to defeat one of them to win. But my main problem isn't with "Royal" or the other one...'

I turned my attention to the green corner where that girl was pondering. She was attacking everyone at once with her Brionne's Disarming Voice. Not to mention, using Baby Doll eyes to lower the guards of all the Pokémon around her.

'she's the main target... she's up to something... I know it.'

 

Luma's POV

'Ugh... why do I feel like I'm being stalked right now....oh well, maybe I'll use this bad boy right now...'

I pulled out my new Waterium Z I received from clearing Lana's trial and slipped it into the slot of the z ring. I knew exactly who I was going for...

with everyone attacking each other, I readied the pose and watched as the Waterium Z shimmered with a shining blue light, having everyone's  
eyes on me.

 

Narrator's POV

Luma crossed her forearms together in front of her creating and X and mimics the dance that she was taught by Lana.

"Water, our blood flowing throughout the world! flow freely to follow our command and wash away our foes!" 

The same blue light envelopes Brionne as it holds a determined look on its face, readying its attack.

"now Rio! take down Royal's Rockruff! With Hydro Vortex!" complying with its trainer, Rio creates a torrent of water which turns into a tall twister. the water then drops into a flooding wave, leaving Rockruff on the ground with spirals in its eyes. The Masked Royal returned Rockruff and three bells  
chimed.

with that, the Royal was over.

 

-back in the Lobby-

 

Everyone exited out the field with content and pride on their faces.  
"so what do you think? it's easy to have a fun time with Battle Royal. Woo! you even have a shot at beating real  
tough opponents this way, yeah?"  
Hau jumped up and down raising his fists up in the air cheering.

"oh yeah! that was a fun battle! I wanna have another one like this soon!"

Luma nodded in agreement.

"you were on fire during that battle, I hope you bring that fire with you and burn up my trial."

 

Luma's POV

when we heard the voice, I immediately looked behind me to see a guy not too older than us with spiky hair, red  
shorts, and a necklace with the same flower all the other captains have. then he must be...

"the name's Kiawe, the Fire captain. you can get to Wela Volcano Park from  
Route 7. I'll be waiting for you at the peak."

he approached us as he made that statement and looked at both me and Hau.

"If you plan to see your Island challenge through to the end, climb to the top with your strongest team!"

With that said and done, Kiawe walked out of the building leaving mine and Hau's next destination. Royal, on the other hand, faced us with curiosity in his eyes.

"So Luma, Hau. How are your trials going? I hope you and your Pokémon are working hard and havin' a blast, Woo!"

"But, Mr. Masked Royal... how'd you know that we're doing our trials right now?"

"Well that's because he's-"

"Oh! I get it!"

'Oh for the love of Arceus... ' i internally facepalmed.

"Because of our amulets, huh? Well, I'm having a blast!" Hau said but turned to Gladion who was in his own little world.

"But why are you here? Why would you even wanna do a Battle Royal?"

That's a good question actually. What was Gladion doing here? Although something did come up in my mind.

"You wanted to find stronger opponents here, didn't you?" I said with a small grin on my face.

"Hehe... sorry, didn't know you were training for the next time we'd meet."

He turned his head towards me with his eyes meeting mine.

"It isn't just that," he said as he walked forward, putting his hand to his head.

"Because Null and I have to make it on our own, and I don't ever want to forget that."

"Hmmm??" I hummed as I saw him walk out too. Seriously, this guy's like a giant question mark.

"...wow, you're just a ray of sunshine, eh? I think you'd have a lot of fun if you just let yourself have a good time with everybody else," Hau said with a bit of sass in his voice.

"You can do a lot more together, too!" He continued.

"Guess he's not too social," I pouted, placing a hand on my hips.

Hau turned to Royal with a grin on his face and nodded.

"Well I don't know what his deal is, but I thought that battle was just plain fun! That's why I like battle royals, and my Pokémon like them too!"

"Hehe, glad to hear it. I feel the same way," I said smiling.

"Hey, Luma, I thought you couldn't attack multiple people with Z- Moves, so why did Hydro Vortex spread around the arena?" Hau questioned placing his hands on his head.  
I was looking at the door, wondering what in the world is up to him. 'He really is a mystery...'

"Hey, earth to Luma~," Hau said waving his hand in front of me grabbing my attention.

"Huh? What's up?"

"Your Brionne's Z- Move, how was it able to nearly attack the Pokémon around it? I thought you were only able to target one target." 

"Oh... well it was my first time using Waterium Z, so uh..."

Both Royal and Hau looked at me questionably.

"I kind of don't know how to control it very well..." I said, scratching my head. But it was true. The power that came from me that time... It was almost as if the power was just flowing from me like the fountain outside the stadium. It was just too much. It almost felt like a large waterfall was falling atop of my body. But even though the pressure was too much, I felt alive. More alive than I did in my entire life.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Whew! This editing is quite a lot of work, but it's quite fun adding some stuff in as I'm looking through the chapters. Here's hoping this turns out just fine and dandy! As for how updates are gonna come out, there may be constant updates coming out on weekends or something. Here's hoping! 
> 
> So, until next time... 
> 
> Stay Tuned!


	8. Golf-Ball Sized Hail; Get Out Part 1

Luma's POV

Oh man... these trials are getting stranger and stranger. First, it was strapping young swimmers and now it's photobombing Salazzles. Wonder what's gonna be next, some sort of circus act?

I kept thinking of all the trials I had here in Akala while taking a stroll around the road and battling various trainers. I rant about how strange they are now and then, but honest to Arceus, I'm going to be looking back at these when I'm older and think "wow, remember when we had to battle that Wishiwashi that looked like it could be the size of a Wailord? It looked like it would gobble us up like a Munchlax to dessert. That was the most fun I had in my entire life."

I decided to take the time to train with my Pokémon and make sure that they are all ready for the next trial. My Grubbin ended up evolving into a Charjabug and decided to rename it "Charja," getting it ready for the Grass Trial since it's not just an electric type, but also a bug type after evolving. Not to mention, V.V evolved into a Sylveon after the water trial and learned a whole new move set when we trained together. But boy oh boy I thought it was going to evolve into an Umbreon with night creeping in. But I didn't really care what V.V would've evolved into, just as long as she kept growing better and better.

After some time passer grinding up my Pokémon to new heights, I made a quick stop to the Pokémon center and quickly stepped out, passing a nearby motel and a couple of golfers who were practicing their swings, continuing my own training. It was going smoothly... until...

Narrator POV

"Okay... steady now... make sure to aim carefully... follow the wind..."

Smack

With that, the golf ball flew away with the wind.

Nearby, Luma wondered around.

"Huh? Where are all the Pokémon?"

She put her hand flat on her forehead creating a vizor for herself so she can find more Pokémon.

"Come out come out wherever you are... I know you're hiding... I could really use some training or something..."

She was walking slowly... feet lightly tapping the ground like she were on a top-secret mission and she needed to retrieve important files from the enemy. She kept her concentration till a slight change of wind came along.

"Huh?"

Bonk!

"Gah!"

She saw something hit the ground at her feet and quickly jumped away, hiding behind a nearby boulder. Peaking from the side, she saw something rolling closer and closer towards the boulder. When it finally came into view as it rolled between the girl's low heeled sandals...

"Oh, it's just a golf ball."

She walked away from the rock and picked up the golf ball...

Meanwhile, the two golfers kept going... practicing their swings.

"No no no! That's not how you swing it. You're supposed to swing along the wind, you're supposed to swing against the wind!"

"No way! Here's how you swing it! Raaah!!"

With the swing of the driver, the golfball soared high...

Hitting a passing Bewear of a small trainer.

\------

"Okay... golf balls and a scarce amount of Pokémon."

Puzzling two and two together, she widened her eyes and slowly turned away from her quest of looking for wild Pokémon to battle with.

"Beary! Come back!"

A preschooler kept shouting to her Bewear as it tried finding just who had the guts to throw something at it. It didn't look not for the golfers obviously swinging at their golf balls, but at the spooked trainer wandering hopelessly. A twinkle came to its eyes as it runs to her. Chucking the golf ball back at the girl.

"H-hey miss! Look out behind you!"

Luma looked behind her shoulder... but it was a little too late when she felt the graze of the unidentifiable flying object, leaving her eyes wider than they were before. 

"Ah! What the hell?! WHAT THE HELL?!"

She reacted as she saw the Bewear coming at her head on with rage in its eyes and its arms spread from one end to another. Her jaw dropped letting out a yelp and her feet bolted the other way perpendicular from the Bewear, landing on her arm and shoulder to soften the impact of the fall from the gravel.

'Damn golf balls,' she thought as her eyes laid on the first golf ball that could've given her a one-way ticket to the hospital. She quickly got up and quickly ran with the same widened eyes and jaw dropped to the ground, bolting away from the enraged Pokémon.

"Okay okay okay! Gotta think! How do I lose this thing?!" She yelled to herself and her eyes laid on the nearby motel and felt her hands lay on a set of pokebeans she was saving for her Pokémon.

"Alright, let's do this... here goes nothing... but!"

A few moments before

"Sorry miss, I'm afraid we've got no vacancies today."

"Huh...? Why not?"

"Were booked for tonight with all the trial goers coming in. Especially not with that room two doors down being rented out nonstop all this time. The boy staying there paid up to two YEARS worth of nights when he first got here. Though he's not so free with cash now as he used to be... seems like Team Skull doesn't pay well enough to live off of."

Now

"UUUUUGH!! Okay! Know what! I gotta go in! I don't know if I can handle running from Pokémon getting hit with golfs balls!" She yelled and stopped quickly waving around a couple of  
pokebeans.

"Hey! Big guy! Over here!" The Bewear stopped in its tracks as it saw the beans.

"I know you want 'em~"

The Bewear's eyes followed the waving hand of the trainer, slobber oozing from its mouth opening slowly letting out soft growls.

"Then catch!"

She tosses the beans, seeing them fly up in the air like a small swarm of Cutiefly. The Bewear immediately ran straight for the direction of the beans while its Trainer ran straight to it, trying to catch up. Luma, on the other hand, booked it to the nearest door of the motel not caring who would reside behind the door, quickly opening it without thinking of knocking.

The door quickly flew open and the girl stumbled back, closing the door behind her with her back on the door and her arms sprawled on it. She was breathing heavy sighs of relief and lack of stamina. After closing her eyes and controlled her breathing with slow inhales and exhales, she slowly gathered her thoughts not aware of the open wound on her arm.

Luma's POV

Whew... okay, I'm alive... I'm okay... some scrapes here and there... But I'm okay...

I was finally able to catch my breath. But as soon as I looked up and felt a presence nearby, I crooked my head up to see what was the cause of the presence. My eyes laid on a familiar shade of black and red, along with green eyes and blonde hair. My eyes just stilled themselves, as I felt the familiar yet near stressful presence of Gladion once more. But the only thing that appeared in my mind was 'oh, it's this guy again.'  
I backed away from the door and put my hands to my sides. I kind of tensed up a little seeing him just standing there with his hand on his hips and his eyes a little wide from the sudden entrance I made. I wanted to say something, but I didn't know what. I pretty much just barged in trying to escape some incoming storm of golf balls and a crazed Pokémon with a strong set of arms. I wanted to tell him that, but before I could...

"H-hey, uh-"

"Get Out."

He told me to get out.


	9. More than Meets the Eye; Get Out Part 2

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> this is a continuation of "Get Out Part 1". Been a while since you caught up in this chapter or haven't read the first part yet? Well, feel free to read the first part. If not, then please enjoy the second part of "Get Out", and the continuation of this story.

-Later in the evening-

Gladion's POV

How I ended up in this situation, I had no idea. The same girl I had sought to defeat was asleep on my bed with tears in her eyes and a quivering hand from a nightmare she was having. 'Damn it all,' was something that kept appearing in my head over and over again as the girl let out a soft call for help. How this situation came to be had begun somewhere in the afternoon.

-a few minutes before the current time of last part- 

Laying on my bed, I stared at the ceiling trying not to think of my defeat against that girl. Trying to come up with more strategies and thinking of the new additions that I may include to my team alongside Null and Zubat. But even as I tried to think of those things, Luma Moon kept popping in and out of my mind. Her voice ringing in my head much like the sounds of an alarm clock waking me up in the morning. 

'Are you sure being with them will make you stronger?'

Rising from the bed, I prepared all my things and decided to set off toward Royal Avenue once again with the Premier Ball containing Null in hopes of the two of us getting stronger. However, the slamming of the door opening and closing had immediately caught my attention as I saw the girl that appeared in my thoughts before me. I didn't take notice of her exasperated breath or the gravel and dirt she tracked in from her arm, I just wanted her to get out. So before she could say anything, I only spoke two words to her. 

 

Luma's POV

"Get out."

"Huh? You don't wanna know what the hell just happened out there?"

"I don't care, now get out."

Jeez what a jerk, He could at least hear me out. That and it looks like the suns about to set and the motel is booked.

"Just one night over, that's all I ask and then I'll be out of your hair. Deal?"

"No. besides, aren't there any other rooms you could stay in aside from this one?"

I shook my head and shrugged.

"The place is booked, not to mention a little birdie told me that someone from Team Skull had been staying here for the past two years. So..."

He looked at me as I clapped my hands together, bowed my head down and closed my eyes and slammed the palms of my hands down the carpet. 

"Pleeeeeease let me stay? It's so crazy out there and I don't know how much more I can last with golf balls falling from the sky or rabid wild pokemon after my blood," I spoke quickly and awaited his answer. 

"On your feet. You look pathetic," he responded. But I had my own rebuttal. 

"Well, who do you think is making me look pathetic. Do you even have any idea what's going on out there?" 

"I don't. Nor I care. Now get out." 

"I'm practically on my hands and knees begging for my survival here. Besides, it's just for one night. Then I'll be out of your hair. So C'mon. What do you say?" 

Please tell me he's gonna say yes! I doubt it though. He seems kind of like a tough egg to crack. Well, guess I'll find a rock to find in... 

"Fine... you can stay... but after tonight, You're gone. Understand?"

Oh sweet Vanillish, he actually said yes. 

"It'll only be tonight! I promise!" I shouted as I raised my hand up in the air cheerfully. He was looking at me with a strange scowl on his face, but I couldn't help myself. I was saved. 

"Hmph... whatever," he said crossing his arms still looking away from me. Man, he really is a "ray of sunshine".

Either way, I managed to get a place to stay for the night. But I could understand why he didn't want me staying over, I mean we are on opposing sides... and maybe gender has something to do with this. But it isn't like we're both gonna be sleeping in the same bed. At least I hope not, anyway. 

After peaking from the window for those golfers to go into their rooms, I figured that I might as well see what I can make for dinner. Probably not much, but it would be nice to have some curry again. Oh, one can dream... But from what I've seen in some TV shows, people make some nice looking soup. And with a campfire? Now that sounds good...

"Alright then, I'll see what I can do for dinner."

"Suit yourself," he said as he just flopped back first on the bed and put one arm over his eyes.

I ran out to see if I could find some old wood before the sunset. On the way, I picked a couple of berries and plants that would go well with the curry and brought out my Growlithe to help gather the wood. I also brought out Rio to make some drinkable water and my Trumbeak helped gather any kind of meat whether it would be a fish or something from the wild. After gathering all the stuff we needed, I went to the Pokémon Center and gone to the cafe to see if they can lend me some utensils and a stock pot while Growlithe made the fire with Trumbeak and Rio. And boy was I glad to have made a quick stop there. A Chef Trainer who was dropping by to heal his pokemon and overheard that I was looking for some ingredients for food. The conversation went as followed. 

"Excuse me, miss. I couldn't help but overhear you saying that you're trying to make some dinner." 

"Yeah. I don't really have much, except for some rice balls, but I might as well whip up something on a campfire."

"What were you planning on making?" 

"Well, I was thinking of just making some of' curry with rice. It sounds strange, I know, but might as well try, right?" 

The Chef seemed touched by my statement, and thus led me outside. There, he saw that my pokemon had just set up a campfire and told me to wait by the campfire while he fetched some of his supplies and a basket filled with various ingredients. By the time he came back, we got started with a curry while Growli stayed by the fire with the assistance of the chef's Wimpod and Magmar to keep the water boiling. As we were working on setting up all the ingredients, I felt as though I was reliving this time. By the time everything was ready to go, I thanked the kind Chef as he bid farewell, allowing me to use the bits of spices and such for the curry as the night was beginning to settle in. 

Narrator POV

The Sun had set and night had finally risen. The Stars showing up one by one in the dimming sky. Outside of the motel was a small campfire below a metal platform balancing a stock pot filled with curry and a plate of rice balls from her mother beside the fire. Luma stirred the pot and placed a small spoon in the pot and took a taste.

"Hmm... feels like it needs to wait a little longer... but man it kind of smells good," she drooled as a whiff of the curry gently tickled her nose. She also had some poke beans out for all of her Pokémon along with berries and a small bit of curry.

Meanwhile, in the room behind the green door, Gladion laid on the bed with his thoughts and Type: Null laying on the floor with its head resting on the corner of the bed with concern for its trainer. Gladion was hoping to battle Luma again another day so he can beat her the next time they met. He did not expect her however to barge in like a madman and ask, or rather begging, to stay for the night. Now she's making dinner with who knows what. To him, she is the tempestuous enemy of Team Skull, nothing more than a bother. But at the same time, he almost feared her pokemon's abilities and how they became so strong in the first place. How her words were able to sway him even though her voice was at first unfamiliar with him. She was just like a siren to him; one ear to her voice and although it seemed as though he got away, he was instantaneously pulled in. But much like a siren to the sailor with the strongest of wills, Gladion knew that if he were to listen to her, all of his efforts would go in vain. He kept thinking to himself that she was nothing but trouble. 

Gladion's POV

"She's nothing more than an obstacle standing in my way... so why? Why are her words causing so much impact?"

It doesn't help either that she isn't very serious when it comes to her goals. But she's not saying how everything is fun like the other trainer who was with her. But... Even though I was her opponent. Even though she barely knows me, it seemed as though she was reaching out to me. Trying to get to know me through our battle. Almost as if she was trying to speak to me, or rather conveying her own thoughts, through her battling. I maybe thinking too much into this. It could also be that she simply wanted me out of the way so she could continue. But even after the battle when those grunts came, she was willing to speak out for me...

"Damn it. Who is this girl?" Null had perked up from the remark and turned to face me. It looked almost concerned for the way I was acting. Yet turned toward the door as the flickering of light had caught our attention. Getting up from the bed, I went toward the door and cracked it open, seeing that it was no ordinary light, but rather a small campfire. There was a small pot being held over the fire with a set of sticks she must've found. Whatever she was making, it smelled good. But where did she get all of this?

"She's resourceful, I'll give her that," I thought allowed. She was keeping an eye on whatever was in the pot and slowly took the lid off to see if whatever she was making was ready. Her fist seems slightly raised as her head high. She's giving herself too much credit. I knew she was a madwoman, but what she said next made me only more skeptical of her than I already was. 

"You know, you could join us. There's plenty for everyone here."

She didn't even turn her head, but I knew that was she said was directed at me. 

"How did you know I was here?"

Giggling, she turned around, waving a set of peace signs between her head with a smiling face akin to that of a Gengar. 

"because I'm Psychic," she responded with her voice having a sense of vibrato that would most likely send a child's spine to tingle. I tried to deny her request, only for my stomach to speak for me with a growl. I didn't really have much to eat aside from what I had in the cafe. Nodding, she proceeded to grab a set of two plates ignoring my denials. 

"I'll serve for two then. Tonight's special is a Miltank beef curry with rice balls from home."

"O-Oi! I didn't say you could serve me!"

"Didn't have to, your stomach did the talking, and I'm not cruel enough to not give someone who's hungry any food, that's inhumane I tell ya!" She said in a slightly annoyed tone but still kept her grin.

"Now if you'd like, you can sit anywhere."

I didn't really say much, just sat down as she said and Null walking out of the room. I saw that all her pokemon were out serving themselves. I noticed how balanced her team was, all of them nearly having different types from the fire type Growlithe, the flying type Trumbeak, and the Bug Type Charjabug. Then there was her partner Brionne, who stood by her side.

Luma's POV

After getting a couple of plates for myself and Gladion, I gave him his plate and sat beside him. I looked at him with a small grin and held my palm out signaling him to dig in. 'I'm hoping it turned out well' I thought as I took a spoonful and put it in my mouth. It turned out pretty well since I made sure to not add too much water to the sauce and going steady with some of the spices I found along the way. I turned my head to Gladion who hesitantly ate a spoonful, avoiding eye contact.

"So what do you think?"

The next moment, he was just seen scarfing down the food quickly taking big spoonfuls. Was he even chewing on it? Wait what is he was scarfing it down because it was bad and he didn't want me to worry. Oh no, don't do this to me...

"Woah woah woah, slow down, you don't wanna go choking on something, do you?" I said slowly raising my arm. But a sharp pain kept me from raising it further and I felt something trickle down my arm. I held my arm and tried covering the wound, but Gladion already saw that something was up and looked at me questionably.

"Something wrong?" He asked after putting down his plate and wiped his face.

I quickly turned away to the fire in front of us and laughed nervously, trying to keep my eyes away from his. 

"Ah! Umm, it's nothing!" I said waving my other arm. But it does kind of hurt.

"I'll just uh.... patch that up before going to sleep- Ow! Hey, what the hell are you doing?! I said I'll be fine, damn it!"

He grabbed my arm and pulled it close causing me to nearly fall if I didn't catch myself with my other arm. I didn't know what to find more embarrassing; the fact that I nearly fell flat on my face, that Gladion was just casually checking out the busted bloodied skin of my arm, or the fact that my face is the same color as the blood dripping from said arm he's examining! 

"What did you do? We're you attacked by something?" He asked as he made eye contact.

"W-well uhh... It must've happened when I was running away from an infuriated Bewear who got hit with a golfball. Not to mention I nearly got hit with one myself. On the head! Do you know how hard those things are? There pretty damn hard! Could've shattered my skull or something," I explained, trying not to stutter.

"For someone your age, you have quite the mouth on you." 

"What do you mean "someone my age"? I figured we were the same age or something. But you're an edgelord and you look pretty tall, so I guess you're not too older than me..." 

"Do you have a first aid kit?"

"Um, yeah sure. It's in my bag. Give me a sec..."

I dig through my bag and got out a small box filled with disinfectant, bandages, cotton balls and various other things. My mom was the one who suggested I bring it with me so that in case I get hurt. Gladion had prepared the disinfectant while I cleaned the blood that dried up on my arm. Seriously, how did my arm get this banged up? Did I fall on glass or something? Although I did kind of fall a little too hard... on nothing but gravel. I held my arm out so he could check it out. 'Hmm... despite being a real edgy guy, he doesn't seem so bad.'

Narrator POV

Luma tried looking strong as she felt a sting coming from her wound as Gladion washed away the dirt and blood from her wound.

"It may sting a little bit at the very least it won't be infected."

"Tch! Yep! I am pretty well aware- Nng!" Interrupted by the stinging on her arm, Luma tried keeping her composure. But as she was trying to do so, she couldn't help but wonder why someone like Gladion was helping her. Was it because of the dinner? Or something else? 

"So umm... why are you helping me?"

"I should be asking you the same thing," he asked finishing mending her wounds.

"Hmm, good point. Wow, thanks a bunch, Gladion! I feel good as new." Luma raised thumbs up to Gladion while he looked away from her cheery exterior.

"Whatever, I just don't want anything to happen to my opponent, that's all."

"Sure edgelord. Suuure..." Luma said, laying back and looked up towards the sky.

The sky was shining brilliantly with stars spreading around the boundless night. The moon's radiant light spreading across Alola, giving off a gentle glow. Luma smiled as she eyed at the view of the ocean. Gladion, on the other hand, was looking down at the ground where his hands were hovering above the concrete. His eyes traveled to the girl next to him, who was staring at him as she pointed upward. 

"You should look up more. Your neck's going to be crooked if you keep looking down at your feet. And it's such a beautiful night. The ground's not going anywhere," she said, putting a hand on his shoulder, feeling the boy tense up and sitting up from his arched back.

"Tell me," speaking in a calm yet serious tone, Gladion turned his head to Luma and caught her attention with his voice.

"Were you trying to stick up for me when those grunts came? What made you think doing that was such a good idea? You barely even know me," He asked with a slight bit of yearning in his voice. Gladion truly wanted to know. But Luma looked down and pondered a little, placing her hand below her chin and hummed silently.

"Well..." She looked back at him and grabbed his hand, placing it on her other and cupping it gently. Gladion couldn't help but have a small blush spread on his face, staring at not just her small smile, but her gentle blue stare.

"Because I know there's a lot more to you than just getting stronger. I don't know what it is, but I just know it. You want to know more about somethings in the world, don't you." 

Her gaze then turns to the sky. Her head tilting up as she pointed toward the sky with her arm extended and her other arm holding her position as she laid back. 

"Kind of like how the stars are more than just small lights in the sky or the moon is more than just a giant ball of rock stuck in orbit."

Gladion follows her gaze and looks up towards the sky and tries puzzling her words. How could she have known he was struggling? Did she know all along? Or was she a spy? Either way, her analogy created more questions for him, but the sky seemed brighter and more colorful to him than before and he was able to understand Luma a little more. The girl continued on.

"To me, there's more to everything than what meets the eye. There are reasons behind the actions that everyone makes, and there's something driving everyone to make their decisions. So I know you might not answer me this now because we barely know each other, but why do you want to get stronger? Is there someone in your life you wish to protect? Someone you're trying to run away from? Or maybe you want to prove them wrong?" She said in a gentle tone as she turned her attention back to him and vice versa, the girl then chuckled.

"Heh, that got a little deep. Guess being edgy's just gotta be the status quo." Scratching her neck, She turned her head away from him toward her own Pokemon who were putting out the flames, while Null had nudged its' helmet covered head toward Gladion, who had patted him on the head in turn. 

"Anyways, it's getting late. If you want, I'll go and sleep on the floor or a chair." She said walking back with him trailing behind.

"Why not just sleep on the bed?"

"Well, aren't you going to sleep there?" She asked confused.

"I mean that we could share it," he said bluntly.

Luma immediately turned red and stopped in her tracks before the door. steam puffing from her head and her jaw dropping open just being baffled at what Gladion casually said in front of her. 

"Well? Are you coming in or are you sleeping outside?"

"U-umm yeah, I just need a moment to... well, uhh... n-nevermind," she stuttered and entered the room. She took off her sandals and placed them on the floor near the door and walked to the bathroom. Gladion took off his sweatshirt and pouch and placed it on the cabinet, revealing a solid back long sleeve. Feeling a set of eyes on him, Gladion turned to Luma who simply stared at him. Uttering the words, "So it's a sweater vest?"

"What are you staring at," he scowled.

"What? Oh, umm... Wow, it's late. Gonna go to bed now! Hehehe..." she giggled nervously while taking off her bag and hat and made her way to the bed, immediately covering herself with the sheets.

"Hmph, whatever. I need to use the restroom."

Gladion soon entered through the curtain, with the girl in his thoughts once more. 

Gladion's POV

"What the hell is her problem?"

First, she's childish, the next she's tenacious, now she's a stuttering mess... just who is this girl?

I brushed my bangs away and washed my face with cold water, still having that girl in my thoughts. How is this girl still lingering in my mind? She's just like any other trainer on her trials, yet she's adamant about her goals whatever they may be.

Tch! Damn it Gladion, get it together. She's the enemy and nothing more than that... just an annoying little girl with strong Pokémon. I looked at my reflection, her words echoing once more like the waves splashing against the cliff. 

"'More to you than meet's the eye...' what a joke..." 

When I walked out of the bathroom, I heard silent whimpering coming from the room. It made the atmosphere of the room change from quiet to uneasy in a matter of seconds. I quietly followed the sound of small cries which led me to the bed and the source of the sound; a teary-eyed Luma. She was gritting her teeth and gripped the sheets below her for dear life with tears continuously streaming down her face. It was obvious by her expression that she was having a nightmare. What was occurring in it was unknown, but it was causing her to tremble.

She reminded me of someone who would react the same way as she did when we were younger. But before I could reminisce about the past, I heard her inaudibly mumble to herself as she kept clenching the bed sheets. I climbed onto the other side of the bed and laid beside her, instinctively grabbing her hand. She was shaking like a leaf. Her small hand clenching mine with all the strength she had. Inaudibly, she was crying for help. For somebody to help her. Her pleas to Arceus empty. 

"Help... Blood... Everywhere..." 

Blood? Guess it can't be helped. Must be something she saw as a kid or something... But it seemed more traumatic as her eyes had opened. She seemed scared out of her mind, yet blinked as she woke up from the nightmare. Her once lighthearted face had twisted in fear as her eyes were wide open. When she saw me, she said nothing. Only wiping her tears and gripping my hand. 

"S-Sorry, I... I'm going back to sleep now... I can't guarantee It won't happen again..." she muttered. Her voice was shaken and tears kept streaming from her eyes as she closed them again. All I did was just wipe them off her face with my free hand and turned away from her, her grip on her hand intertwined with my own. 

"Guess we may have something in common after all..." I thought as I fell asleep, allowing my mind to wander, and the dreams to either keep my incognitive senses entertained, or the nightmares to make me fear for tomorrow. 

\----------------------------------------------  
Here's to another long chapter! And now, please enjoy the Epilogue of this two-parter!  
\----------------------------------------------

-

-

-

Gladion's POV

I woke up slowly with my eyes feeling heavy from last night. But only to wake up alone with my hand free. All of Luma's belongings leaving nothing more than a speck of dust in the wind.

"Guess she left early... Probably to get to her next trial..."

I heard the door open and another girl with long twin tails walking in.

"Jeez Gladion... you gotta learn to lock your door," she said, leaning between the outside of my room and the entrance.

"So what? Are you two a thing now?"

I turned away in response to her remark.

"Aww... Don't be like that... if I had to guess, she's making her way to Mallow's trial. Why not tell me a little bit about her for me, Gladion?"

I got up from my bed and placed my hands on my hips, eyes at the woman in front of me who calls herself big sister.

"What do you want to know about her, Plumeria?"

"Everything there is to know."


	10. Aether, The Monochrome Sanctuary

Narrator POV 

"U-um! I think I'll stay here. I'd like o see how Hau's battle goes, too. Even though I hate to see Pokémon get hurt..."

Lillie's words danced around Luma's head. It was something about the way she reacted that caused her to wonder while heading her way to the Hano Grand Resort. The building leading to the small condominiums was akin to that of a castle and the entrance leading to the building was the courtyard. Luma couldn't help but keep looking at the tower in awe and nearly ran into a person along the way. Quickly making her way through the doors of the hotel passed the bellhops, she looks ahead looking at her surroundings. The room was filled with waterfalls and a bridge leading to the main lobby. She admired the scenery in Alola, and the architecture was no different other than most of it is man-made. Slowly making her way to the lobby, she sees the familiar figure of the people from the Aether Foundation whom we're at the end of Memorial Hill. She made herself look presentable with the new clothes she got from Konikoni City consisting of a navy blue pleated skirt, matching low heeled sandals, and a new messenger bag. She figured if she was going somewhere new, why not get some new stuff along the way.

"Man this is so cool," she said with the pitch of her voice going higher and higher.

"Oh, hi! You're that guy from before," she waved at him and smiled.

"So you've come at last," he said with an impatient tone towards the girl.

"Yep, the name's Luminaria Moon.  
But Luma's just fine. Nice to meet you," she said extending her hand hoping for a hardy handshake, instead of being denied and receiving a glare, causing her to slowly lower her hand.

"Ah. I see... you may call me Faba. I told you before that I would show you someplace astounding, right? Well, that wondrous place is... Aether Paradise!"

Luma's POV

"Oh yeah, I remember the Island Kahuna mentioning something about that place. What is Aether Paradise anyway?"

The man with the ridiculous pair of glasses covered his hand with his mouth and chuckled silently.

"Then let me tell you about Aether Paradise. Just as the name suggests, Aether Paradise is a veritable paradise for Pokémon that floats far out in the sea surrounding Alola. It is an artificial island, made entirely by human technology, for the sake of protecting Pokémon!"

It took a second for me to let his explanation sink in, but he was basically saying that Aether Paradise was a Pokémon sanctuary. Why didn't he just say that instead... but he just continued on.

"Of course I'm an adult who keeps his promises. So I will prove to you that all I've told you is the absolute truth with a tour of Aether Paradise!" He shouted while spreading his arms like a maniac.  
Also, what's with the stuff about being an adult? He then extends his hand to me, causing me to slightly jump.

"You will come, won't you?!"

"Uh... sure," I said unsure of what was going on.

"Good, good. Then you'll come with me. Aether Paradise will amaze you."

"I'm sure it will, Mr. Faba."

"Wait! Take me, too!"

I heard multiple footsteps approaching me and Faba. I turn to see not only Hau but Professor Kukui and Olivia too. Faba raised his hand under his chin and looked surprised at not only Hau and the Professor, but Olivia more than the rest.

"Oh? Even Kahuna Olivia has come to see you off?" He asked.

Olivia chuckled and put her hand on her hips.

"As a Kahuna, I look after all the trial goers who come to my island. They're like my own children. Not that I've got any. I never even got married." She said with her usual tone of voice, but the way she sounded in the last one was very... I dunno, must be the "single life" that brother was telling me about. She turned to the two of us before shaking her head slightly.

"Listen up, you two. Your greatest opponent is always yourself. Your greatest allies, the Pokémon beside you."

Hau nodded and turned to the Professor, thanking the Kahuna.

"Are you coming too, Professor?"

"Yeah, it'll be fun to go see someplace new!" I said, hoping he will reply with a yes. But my hopes died when he shook his head, I kinda don't want Faba to be the only adult with me and Hau.

"I've got my own business to attend to. You go see all the amazing tech that Aether's developing and tell me about it later, yeah?"

After some more heartfelt words promises of meeting again, we made our way to Aether Paradise by ferry.

But before we made our way in, I felt a set of eyes on me. It was like before I left Melemele, but more subtle and worrisome. I looked around and saw nothing but the resort and its current residents. Could it be I felt uneasy going to Aether? Or that I may be getting seasick? Either way... something felt kind of... off. Or maybe... was it the crack in the sky that appeared when I stepped out of the research lab?

"Something seems..."

"Hey! Luma! Come on aboard you Slowpoke!"

I heard Hau shout at me and waving his hand around flashing his usual cheeky grin.

"Y-yeah! I'm coming," I said, and boarded on to the ferry, looking behind me one last time.

After a seemingly long sail, we finally made it to the man-made Island. The place was filled with not only many employees adorned with white uniforms, but also tons of Pokémon.

"Here we are, you two. This is Aether Paradise," Faba greeted us as we saw a Sudowoodo and a Yungoos be taken into an elevator and getting whisked away by other Aether Employees.

"Neat," was all that came out of my mouth, while Hau looked surprised.

"Aether Paradise is a facility created for the conservation of Pokémon. It has been outfitted with all of the latest technology for this purpose. Yes for the sake of Pokémon conservation," Faba continued as we walked along the blank interior towards the elevator. Only to run into another employee. only this time it was a woman with wavy purple hair and a white and pink uniform along with pink-rimmed glasses. I didn't quite listen to what they were talking about since I was observing my surroundings. Hau also tugged on the strap of my bag telling me how amazing this place is, while I silently agreed with him by nodding my head. When we looked up, Faba was gone and the woman was the only one left if the two of them, sighing in relief.

"Welcome to Aether Paradise, Luminaria, and Hau' Oli. My name is Wicke, it's nice to meet you." The woman said with a warm smile on her face. She spoke with a soft yet enthusiastic tone that put Faba's egotistical and arrogant one to shame. I instantly perked up when I heard her.

"Alola, Wicke! Also, you can call me Luma if you'd like. Waaaait."

"Wait? You know who we are? How'd you know that?!" He took the words right outta my mouth.

"Well, one of our employees told e about your meeting in Akala Island. And of course, i heard how you helped protect the Pokémon there, too, young Mr. La Aloha. Thank you very much, the both of you."

"Thanks, Miss Wicke! Also, Hau's fine with me. I don't really like being called by my full name too much."

The woman giggled at the two of us and placed her hand on her hips.

"Alright then Mr. Hau, Ms. Luma, let me show you around. The main entrance is up above us. Shall we zip up here then," and with a push of a button and a step on the triangular platform, we escalated towards the main floor and witnessed the main lobby of Aether.

"This is the main lobby, you can have your Pokémon taken care of at the reception desk there if they need it," Wicke continued as we eyed at the various Pokémon brought here from their trainers. She turned to me and grabbed my attention.

"You and Hau are both Trial goers, aren't you? Are you hoping to become champions? Then you two must be around 11?" She asked.

"Yeah, I took the first chance I had to join in the Island challenge once I turned 11! 'Cause someday, I really want to be able to beat my gramps... but he's way too strong!" Hau said, which made me realize something,

"Woah, then that means were the same age, Hau! What are the odds?"

"And what about you, Luma? Why did you decide to do the Island challenges?"

"Me? Well..." my voice trailed off. I started to ponder to myself.

When did I decide to do the Island challenges? Matter of fact, why did I want to become a Pokémon trainer? Could it be because my brother inspired me? No... it was way before... way before... uh oh, but I kinda don't wanna go off on a tangent.

"I guess... I dunno, I really wanted to see what the world has to offer," I shrugged.

"You know, see where my choices lead me," I continued.

The woman nodded, smiling small.

"How... how lovely for you. I suppose all children must yearn to take a journey of their own choosing when they get to be about your age."

"Id like to think that everyone's on a journey. It may not be like the one we're on now, but it's still making us grow in more ways than one," I said, making eye contact with Wicke.

"Haha, I like the way you think Luma. It's true, everyone is on a journey. Even if it isn't filled with danger and exploration."

"Haha, I expected someone like the Professor to say something like that. You sounded kinda cool, Luma," Hau said putting his hands beside his hips.

"You think so? It's just something I always lived by,"I replied with a shy smile and a small chuckle, scratching the nape of my neck.

"Luma. Hau. Would you two like to see the conservation area upstairs? We'll zip right up!" She said with another push of a button, taking us to a place filled with constant greenery, shimmering waters, and unique rock forms. This was truly a safe haven for all Pokémon.

Hau jumped up and down, pumping his fists up in the air. "Wow!"

"This is amazing, Wicke! There's really Pokémon here?"

"We keep Pokémon that have been targeted by Team Skull here... and we also try to support Pokémon that need a little extra protection. Like Corsola, for example. They are quite terribly overhunted by a Pokémon called Toxapex."

Hau looked at the water near us and back to Wicke, with a calmer expression.

"Yeah. My gramps is always saying that nature's got it's cruel side, sure as it gives us blessings."

Hau sounded very serious then, but calm... this was a side of Hau I've never seen, so I was pretty surprised.

"But can the Aether foundation really protect all the Pokémon that's out there?" He continued.

"It's not possible, isn't it. Because everything needs to have some bit of chaos to bring order to everything right?" I stepped in looking straight at Wicke.

"Nature does have its own balance, of course. It can be difficult to judge just how much we humans should try to affect that, can't it?"

"Yeah," I nodded.

"That's pretty amazing, the Aether Foundation seems awesome, but why did you bother setting up a branch in a place like Alola?" Hau questioned, slightly returning back to his enthusiastic attitude.

"I couldn't say... it's hard to know for sure what our president is thinking sometimes." She shook her head and continued.

"If you'd like to meet president Lusamine, she should be here in the conservation area now."

"Great, thanks, Miss Wicke. I can't thank you enough," I bowed my head and walked ahead to find the president. When I passed Wicke however, I heard her mumble something to me. I couldn't hear exactly what she said, but it caught my attention.

I walked around the conservation area and savored the view. Taking in the sights.

Meanwhile, back in Akala, in an earlier time

Narrator POV

After the footsteps of the victor of the battle echoed to their next destination, Plumeria sighed as she walked away with her head lowered and her eyes closed.

"You were right. She's pretty tough. I can see why she's always on your mind," she spoke to herself. But turned toward the familiar figure of Gladion, who was leaning on the rock form, witnessing Plumeria's and Luma's battle.

"The way her Brionne evolved in that Hydro Vortex to a Primarina. She had me worried there."

"Hmph..."

Plumeria's gaze turned towards the teen who was looking away from her.

"I told you, she's no regular trainer. She doesn't just battle carelessly. All of her Pokémon including her are in sync. They're good Pokémon,"

"Yeah, yeah... but I can't guarantee that this will be the last time I'll battle her."

The boy stood up from the cliff side and made his way toward the hill.

"Oh yeah, dunno if it's much. But one of our little bros found That Pokémon with a girl in the meadow at Melemele," Plumeria said, slightly raising her voice.

"Not to mention... looks like our little bracelet girl got an invitation by one of Aether's dogs themselves. Told  
her to meet him at the Hano Grand Resort. You know what that means, right?"

With the remark of Aether, Gladion stopped in his tracks and his eyes widened with concern. The thoughts of not only Aether but of the Nebula Pokémon.

"What did they look like," he said in a low voice.

"Some old looking guy in a lab coat and big green goggles," Plumeria explained, making her hands in the shape of glasses.

"I assume you know this guy?"

Gladion clicked his tongue and placed his hand on his forehead.

"Where is she," he asked.

"Battling against the Island Kahuna. But judging by how long our little chat maybe, she may be already on her way to the Resort right now via Charizard. Why do you ask?"

With that remark, a shadow resembling that of a dragon flew up and made its way towards a large building.

"Tch! Damn it!"

Gladion bolted out of the area and tried making his way to the Resort. Leaving Plumeria confused and crossing her arms to leave her thoughts to asunder.

He made haste through the memorial hill, bolted through Diglett Cave, and sprinted towards the giant tower across the bridge and through the roads of Heahea City to stop the girl from leaving the island. But when Gladion arrived at the Resort, Luma was already moments away from boarding the ferry, with Faba and Hau already on the floor of the boat.

Gladion's POV

I watched from the entrance to the courtyard as she stood idly from the boat. The other trainer, Hau, was also there, but he was already on the boat. then there was him... I just knew it had to be judging from Plumeria's description. He must've had prior knowledge of her when she made it to this island and tracked her down. She must've felt someone watching her because she turned around and tried finding who it was. As much as I was hoping that she would beg to them that she didn't want to get on the boat and run to the building, I felt the air around me go thin when she turned back around and made her way to the boat. But not before saying something under her breath with an uneasy look on her face.

I cursed under my breath and slammed my fist down at the railings of the bridge I was standing on as the ferry leading to Aether Paradise sailed away.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> hehe, short chapter. Yeah, But know what! The next few parts are gonna be a wee bit longer! So until next time folks... 
> 
> Stay Tuned!


	11. The Ultra Beast's Debut; An Unsuspecting Blessing

Luma's POV

"My sweet Pokémon... I promise I'll keep you safe... I'll protect you with my love..."

I saw a woman standing in a group consisting of an Aether employee and three Pokémon gathered around her. She was a very pretty lady. She had long blonde hair, a white dress with yellow accents and a black and green diamond on her chest, along with white matching leggings and black and gold heels. She looked like a goddess... a goddess that came from the heavens.

My feet moved all on their own and I approached closer to the woman. When she turned and heard Hau, Ms. Wicke and I approaching, she had a familiar pale tone and piercing green eyes. The blonde hair... pale porcelain skin... and piercing green eyes that cut through my soul like a hot knife to butter. There was something familiar about this woman... but... I didn't know what it was... but when she spoke, I broke out of my thoughts.

"You must be Luma and Hau. Welcome to Aether Paradise. The Aether Foundation's own private island."

"Thank you for having us... and...  
Who are you?" I couldn't help but wonder who was this woman... this woman who looked at me, making eye contact with those eyes instantly froze me in place.

"I am the president of the foundation. But please, just call me Lusamine. I'm so glad that we got to meet."

Wicke stood by her side and Lusamine continued.

"I'm glad there are people like you, who travel the islands to learn more about Pokémon. But there are also those unfortunate people who harm Pokémon for their own selfish reasons or even for profit."

She then raised her arms as if she was hoping to pull Hau and me into a warm embrace.

"And that is why I am here. I will be like a mother to all those poor Pokémon and shower them with love! Even Pokémon from distant worlds, far from the Alola region, are worthy of my love!" She continued, raising her voice with pride.

Hau seemed moved by her words the way he calmly smiled.

"Wow, Miss Lusamine! I don't know how you do all this! You're, like, not even that much older than us!"

"Yeah, it's amazing how you're able to do all of this at such a young age. It's truly inspiring!" I chimed.

The woman covered a giggle that escaped from her mouth with her hand and turned her attention to Hau.

"Oh you sweet boy, I'm already over 40!"

"....what?" I said silently under my breath.

"You are?" Hau questioned.

We turned to each other and back at Lusamine. We kept doing this for a while until Hau clenched his teeth and slightly stepped back, raising his arms for balance.

"Wait, WHAT?! H-How?!" Hau shouted. I just shrugged with a shocked expression and turned back to Lusamine, who was giggling to herself.

"Oh... sorry. We didn't know... it was just a surprise"

"Oh, you! The right style does wonders, you know," she said with a tone filled with glee. She eyed at Hau from the top hair that stuck up from his ponytail to the last centimeter of his orange shoes.

"And, Hau, your style is a bit wanting, hm? I'll have to take you out someone and help you pick a smashing outfit," she continued, her voice filled with enthusiasm.

"L-like what you wear?" Hau questioned and shook his head.

"I don't think anyone else could pull off that kind of look! Except maybe Lillie..." Hau continued, but Lusamine seemed to have ignored his remark. Or at least trying to.

I felt Lusamine look at me and scanning me from my Trilby hat to my Alolan Sea Tank. She stopped when she saw my metal bracelet, looking at the silver slot containing an opalescent moonstone in the shape of a small star.

"Where did you get such a unique little bracelet, Luma?"

I raised my wrist and looked at it observing its features. I swear, everyone in this region and my jewelry...

"W-well uhh... it was a gift. A gift from my parents," I stuttered as I looked at the stone that looked as if it was shining from in itself. Lusamine took my hand and looked at the jewel. She seemed very perplexed by it.

"E-everyone thinks it's very special,  
Like it's some sort of treasure. S-Specially back in Kanto."

"It really is unique... something that no one had ever seen before. I bet you get a lot of compliments here in Alola, too."

I nodded and saw as she let go of my hand, allowing it to fall.

"Yeah... they basically know who I am because of this thing. Now that I think about it..."

I said, turning my head from her and putting my hand on my chin.

"Gladion literally knew who I was because he saw this thing," I whispered to myself as I looked at the piece of jewelry, but Lusamine was still able to hear me.

The look on her eyes seemed to have changed from gentle to a little sinister when I mentioned him. Then again, she seemed to have tried holding back such a look when Hau mentioned Lillie. Did she have any connection with the two? If she did, it didn't seem like a good connection.

"Oh, don't you worry. You just leave everything up to me. Trust me... children would all be much happier if they'd only listen to the adults around them," she said, with a viscous change in tone. She sounded like Faba... it sent chills down my spine. I gripped my wrist close to my chest and clenched my hand into a fist.

But that all changed when we felt a vicious rumble spread across the island. Everyone's expression changed to fear and tried looking for the source of what was causing the tremors.

"That tremor... did something happen on the lower floors?" Wicke questioned. Worry rocking her voice.

But then, the tremor stopped, and a small flash of light appeared from the air in front of us that caused all of us to jump back in fear with our mouths agape when we saw the light crack more and more, creating a portal. Then, from the portal, came a small creature... it was all white with blue accents... it looked like a child with a large hat and tentacles that looked like big strands of hair, with the two front tentacles acting like arms, and two lower tentacles acting like limp legs. I don't know what it was, but something about this creature shook me to the core. I never felt this petrified in my entire life... except for most nights of those dreams I had... and that day... I completely snapped out of it when I heard Lusamine speak.

"Did you come... from another world?"

The creature chimed, rubbing its two front tentacles together and swaying midair. It looked shy...

"Brr-rrr-rrrr...."

Hau then broke the silence between us and went to Lusamine, his arms swinging down in desperation.

"Miss Lusamine, stand back! That thing is... it's not right!"

The creature swayed once more and let out a fearful chime, looking shy once more.

Lusamine shook her head and looked at the creature. She had a sad look on her face. But that wasn't what I was getting from her...

It was... excitement...

"You poor creature..." she said, while Hau stepped in front of us in a protective stance.

I, on the other hand, turned to Miss Wicke and saw that she was just as shocked as we were.

"That hole... that Pokémon... what in the world are they?" She questioned with just as much shock as the rest of us had. We really had no idea what to think of this. A portal appeared from nowhere and something came out of it! 

"Luma..."

I heard Hau call my name and turned to him. He was just as terrified as I was, but his eyes were burning with determination...

"Wh-what's up?"

"Can you distract that thing? I've gotta get Miss Lusamine and Miss Wicke outta here," he said in a serious tone.

It was gonna be tough, but I nodded my head and stood in front of the creature with Prim's Pokeball in hand (she changed the nickname again when her Brionne evolved into a Primarina).

I heard Rotom chime in on its opinion from my bag.

"Zzrt?! I've never seen a Pokémon like that!! A-are we really gonna fight... that thing?!"

"We have to... we need to keep everyone here safe..."

I took a deep breath and closed my eyes, collecting my thoughts... and exhaled...

"Be careful Hau," I said, turning my head to him.

"Right! Let's go! He shouted and everyone stood back, while Lusamine was pulled by Hau. Lusamine seemed to be in a trance, just staring blankly at the monster.

"Jrr-rrrr-rrrrr!"

The beast said and raised all of its tentacles, readying itself for battle. But I felt the air go thin and my body unable to move. But I still sent out Prim in a jiffy, hoping to get this over with.

"Go! Prim!"

He chimed when he was released from his Pokeball and landed with grace.

"Okay! Use Disarming voice!"

Prim obliged and attacked at the Beast, while it was dodging and attacking Prim with what seemed to have been a dazzling gem.

"So it's a Rock Type, huh?" I spoke to myself and made sure to calm Prim as he was fighting off the Beast. But then, it unleashed poisonous gases towards Prim, showing that it may also be a Poison-type.

"Oh no... we need to end this, Prim! Sparkling Aria!"

Prim nodded and rose up, and created water bubbles around the area. Each bubble bursting as the beast passed each one, injuring it. But then I saw that it was approaching me.

"Huh?!"

I stood back and walked slowly backward. The Beast then ran at me as I raised my arms in the form of an "X" and shut my eyes. But then, a flash of light came and appeared in front of me. But with that flash of light, my conscious was brought to its knees.

Narrator POV

A blinding flash of light filled the entire building, blinding everyone... the light wasn't coming from the beast, however. It came from the star-shaped moonstone on Luma's bracelet. Hau, who was standing from the elevator with Wicke and Lusamine, stood idly as the light flickered from the spot of the battle that is taking place.

"Miss Luma!" Wicke shouted in concern.

Hau ran towards the light, but not without telling Wicke to get Lusamine somewhere safe. Only for the two to stand idly and watch Hau leave them behind.

Hau's POV

Oh man, oh man, oh man, oh man! What was that light?! I kept running, until I stopped, seeing Luma standing in place as she blocked the light from her eyes. She looks afraid. I... I have to do something! I'm a Pokemon Trainer for Tapu's Sake! 

"Luma! Are you okay?!" I shouted at her, but she just stood there. Did she hear me? Cmon Luma... 

She lowered her arms and placed them at her sides, turning her head to me, and I was gonna jump for joy and shout at her to "show that beast who's boss," but something was different about her. Her eyes were all colorful. They almost looked like one of those prisms you would have near some sunlight. But man, I was so taken back by the change in Luma's eyes that I forgot what the heck was going on. 

"L-Luma?" I stuttered. But she said nothing. Nothing until she turned her attention back to that thing, who was slowly backing away from her, and raising her arms as if she's about to use a Z-Move. 

"Stand back if you wish to not be harmed..." 

Her voice is all deep! Just... and her bracelet! It's... IT'S GLOWING?! Luma, just... what the heck is going on?! 

Narrator POV

"Primarina..."

Prim faced his trainer and looked at her and nodded, facing back to his opponent, having an aura flow within.

"With your joyous melodies resonating with the ocean waves, carve the way to victory!"

Doing the movements for the water Z-Move, she had the aura flow from Prim awaken and raised her hands outwards.

"Z-Move! Oceanic Operetta!"

Prim was confused, but nodded nonetheless, since the Z- Crystal for that move was not in the trainer's vicinity. The voice of Prim filled the room as a sphere of water filled the battlefield. The two were in sync and built up more water, until the water was too much and fell on top of the beast, filling the area with a small flood before quickly fading away into vapor. This left Hau speechless and Luma and Prim standing side by side, Luma's bracelet still gleaming and her expression blank and arms still raised like that of a conductor.

She held that pose for a while until her knees locked up and collapsed to the ground, only for Hau to catch her before she could hit the ground.

"Woah! Luma are you okay?!"

Luma slowly opened her eyes and looked behind to see Hau, her eyes adjusting and clearing, appearing to their normal powdery shade. 

"H-Hau? What happened?"

"You don't remember?" He questioned.

Wicke and Lusamine come back from the elevator and all of them watch as the beast fled, disappearing in a flash.

Luma's bracelet stopped glowing and she and Hau just sat there, looking where the beast was...

A heavy silence filled the air...

"So it's true..." Lusamine said silently, breaking the silence...

"M-Miss Lusamine?" Luma turned towards, trying to get up, only to stumble slightly.

"Easy there," Hau said, helping her up.

"I still need that Pokémon... I need to get it back."

"What? Miss Lusamine, did you say something?" Hau said, hearing the President's remarks.

Lusamine, still in her dazed expression, closes her eyes and breathes in and out. Calmly collecting her thoughts. Her expression then changes to that of wicked intent and sports a devilish smile from her angelic facade.

"That creature we just saw was undoubtedly an Ultra Beast... an unknown being from another dimension that suddenly appears from the Ultra Wormhole..."

Luma's POV

I tried listening to Lusamine's words, but my mind was still a blur... my eyes were still adjusting to the light of the blank paradise...

Lusamine then turned to the two of us and sported her devilish smile.

"Thank you... both of you... thank you so much!"

Time Skip

I sat on the ferry leading to Ula' Ula Island in silence as I tried comprehending the events of what just happened. I couldn't remember what I did... I remember nothing aside from the Ultra Beast coming at me full force and a blinding light.

I looked out the window and let my thoughts flow freely. Only for Hau to put a hand on my shoulder and flashing his signature smile.

"Hey, don't sweat the small stuff! If you can't remember now, then why not just let it come to you naturally?"

I looked at him and nodded, grinning at him. Listening to his excitement about the next island.

"Ho... besides, my heart's kinda racing too, you know? The Ultra Wormhole is real... and Ultra Beasts are real too! The world is just way too big...!"

"Yeah, life really is like a box of chocolates, you never know what your gonna get," I replied.

"I bet we'll discover even more new things on the island, too! We're gonna need all the energy we can get. Time to dig in!" He said as he digs through his bag and pulls out a couple of Malasadas, chowing down on one of them and turning to me with his face filled with sugar. I couldn't help but giggle.

"You want a Malasada?"

"Sure, thanks, Hau," I said as I gladly took a malasada and started nibbling at it, waiting patiently to get to the next island. But something was still bugging me... So I turned to Hau who was stuffing his face with Malasada and asked, "Hau... Do you know what the heck happened? Back at Aether Paradise, I mean." 

"Oh yeah, you don't really remember what happened, huh? You were acting all weird when you were battling. You had this strange color in your eyes... and that Z Move! I never saw anything like it! What I wanna know is what kind of Z Crystal you need to do that!" 

"Well... It's like I said... I don't remember... You sure it wasn't like some giant Water-type Z Move?" 

Hau shook his head nearly dropping the rest of his malasada in the process, but caught it, gobbled it up, and shook me crazily. 

"Are you crazy?! That was nothing like a Water Vortex! You yelled something like... "Oceanic Operetta," and this surge of water came out of nowhere! You and your Primarina were like some crazy awesome Superheroes!" 

I... I do remember losing some control the first time I initiated a Water- Type Z Move. But I remember that just fine with that giant surge of water flowing throughout the ring... But this? And what's that about my eyes? A strange color? How strange are we talking here?


	12. The Big Bad Boss of Beat downs; Guzma of Team Skull!

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hiya! Miso here! So... Originally this was a two-parter in the original Wattpad copy of this book, but I decided to combine the two-parter. Plus, I may have some a cheap way of skipping through the battle scenes, but hopefully, like me, you guys want more Lillie, and I felt like she needed a hell of a lot more development in this particular version of the story. So, here's to one long chapter... Without further ado... Enjoy the Show!

Luma's POV

After obtaining the Electrium Z crystal and completing the Electric Trial, I was also given Professor Kukui's wrestler mask which he uses for his Masked Royal persona. I didn't feel like myself though after all the business back in Aether. I just kept staring at my bracelet after Kukui went back to Malie Garden after going with me on the bus ride to the top of Mount Hokulani. The Ultra Beast's chirps echoed in my mind, along with the dazzling bright light coming from my bracelet that caused my conscious to go faint. But apparently, I was still battling that thing, and even using a Z-Move at that.

Just what happened during that battle?

I made my way back to Malie Garden to see not only the Professor but Team Skull Grunts as well.

"Yo, yo, yo! Hold up, yo, Mr. Kukui!"

"You say you wanna make a Pokémon League? You got rocks in your skull?"

He must've told them about the new Pokémon League...

"Four Turns!"

The two grunts looked at him with baffled eyes and grunted in confusion. Kukui, on the other hand, put his hands on his hips and stuck up his chest in a boastful manner.

"Bring it on, then both of you! I've been researching Pokémon moves, yeah, so I'm always ready, oh yeah!"

"P-Professor?"

The people around us gathered and cheered for the Professor, giving him words of encouragement and jeering at the grunts in front of him.

"I'll take you both on in a Battle Royal, and you'll be down with just a Swift and Incinerate or two! You gotta beat the man to be the man, boys!" He continued, still boasting. But man did he look confident.

"Yo, for real?" One Grunt replied.

"F-fine! You asked for it!" The other stuttered, getting rattled by the professor's confidence.

"Woah... this is... is he really gonna battle those guys on his own?"

The people around the two continued their cheers and jeers. But it all went to silence when another man's voice ringing from behind the golden yellow bridge.

"Battle Royal, huh? Nice idea there, Kukui. You can beat down three Pokémon at once, huh?"

Everyone turned to the direction of the voice and a scruffy looking man with black and white hair and golden sunglasses on the top of his head. He wore a black sweatshirt with white makings over a white T-Shirt and matching black white baggy pants and shoes. He also had a bunch of gold jewelry and purple markings on his arms. He was slouching his back and had his hands on his hips. Everyone looked at him with fear... but when I looked at the symbol around his neck, it was the symbol of Team Skull.

"Uhh... who is this guy?" I asked one person who was in the crowd.

"It's Guzma...."

"The Leader of these troublemakers..."

So he's the leader, huh? The guy everyone in Team Skull blindly follows... including Plumeria and Gladion. But why him? What did he do to have this many people follow him? The Grunts, however, cheered for him,  
hailing him like some kind of king...

"The hated boss who beats you down, and beats you down, and never lets up... yeah. Big bad Guzma is here!" Guzma boasted at Kukui's face.

He proceeds to cross his arms and let out a hearty chuckle.

"Greetings, cowering public! We have an exciting bout for you tonight! In the opposing corner, the Pokémon Professor Kukui! And in this corner, the boss of Team Skull and the hardest guy around, Guzma!"

He seems full of himself...

"Well here we are, Kukui... fellow rejects who never could become Captains. We've got all these moldy old traditions in Alola... the kahunas, the Captains... it's about time we cut out all that silly garbage and make something new for ourselves. Trust me, I get that... don't get me wrong, though, Kukui. We've got no need for a Pokémon League..."

No need for a Pokémon League? Why does he say that? He placed his hands on his hips again and looked at Kukui in the eyes.

"After all, everyone already knows who the strongest Trainer is on these islands!"

Narrator POV

Kukui chuckled in response to Guzma's cockiness and looked at the leader with a bit of cockiness himself.

"Speak for yourself, Guzma. It's not like I couldn't become a captain. I chose not to. I had other dreams, see?"

The Professor walked away from the man and made his way towards Luma, who was carefully watching from the sidelines.

"I wanted to figure out which moves would be strong enough to beat old Hala... and I finally found what I was looking for."

The professor's had changed from one of self-assurance to that of sincerity.

"The strongest moves you can use are the ones a trainer and their Pokémon choose together in the heat of the moment when it really counts."

He turns back to Guzma and raises  
his head high.

"That's when I knew I had to make a Pokémon League, yeah, to give everybody a chance to be pushed to the limit with their team and find that perfect move!"

The girl stood behind the Professor, hearing his words caused her head to  
lighten up and rise up, the weight on her shoulders lifting up.

"Let's see it Guzma! Show me your moves and prove you aren't just all talk! If you really can, that is..." He shouts, pointing at Guzma, who was slouching with an uninterested look on his face.

The Professor proceeds to turn towards the girl and gave her an assuring look.

"Right, Luma? Don't you agree?"

"Huh? Oh..."

The girl looked at the Professor with a blank look of distress.

"You should know, you have quite the bond with your Pokémon. Don't tell me you've forgotten..."

"Forgotten... forgotten what..."

The girl gasped in realization. Her purpose for being a trainer clouded by the beast's presence.

Luma's POV

That's right... I nearly forgot the reason for being a trainer... the Ultra Beast's encounter nearly rattled me to the core... I can't just let something like the beast rattle me, even if I wasn't awake or conscious or something, I just have to find my way through this! And nit just on my own either, but my friends too, and my Pokémon. I nodded in turn to Kukui's response.

"That's right!" I shouted. Kukui nodding at my response. I looked straight at Guzma and stood tall, straightening my stance. He gave me a questioning look in return.

"So you're one of the kids on her island challenge? You don't look like Hala's Grandson."

"Do I look like a guy to you?" I said with sass and put my hand on my hips.

"Heh, cocky little girl ain't 'cha?" He said, his vision narrowing at me.

"Luma and her Primarina, Prim can unleash some really powerful moves. So if you think you're the strongest trainer in these islands, Guzma, why don't you battle her?"

"Luma, huh? This move fanatic is getting me all riled up! Still... that name's ringin' some bells in my skull..."

I felt his gaze on me narrowing to my wrists at my Z-Ring.

"You've got a Z-Ring, huh, kid?"

Then I felt his gaze narrow towards a small gleam coming from my bracelet, which caused his eyes to follow it.

"Oh... I knew your name was ringin' bells... so you're ol' bracelet girl, the one sendin' my boys packin', includin' ol' Gladion and Plumeria..."

Bracelet girl? Wait, more importantly...

"So we're you the one who sent those grunts after me? Not to mention making Gladion and Plumeria do your dirty work?"

"Heh, well what can I say, I know how to pick 'em... anywho..."

He steps forward until he's inches at my face, slouching to my  
Level until I felt his foul breath tickling my face, making me have a disgusted look on my face and gritting my teeth.

"Luma you know him?"

I shook my head and looked back at Guzma, but still responding to the Professor.

"No, not entirely."

The man in front of me looked at my eyes and squinted.

"Heh, there's no much t'ya, isn't there..."

He backs away from me as he crosses his arms, looking down at me like I'm some kind of bug.

"Why even bother with the Island challenge? What's the point of it?"

"Well..."

I stood tall and stepped forward toward Guzma.

"That's what I want to find out...  
It won't only make me strong as a trainer, but as a person, too! I may not know what the future holds for me, but I will not fall astray!"

The man laughed at my answer as  
I stood idly, trying not to let it get to me.

"Heh, so you don't even know why you're doing it? Well then... watch closely, Kukui. Someday I'm gonna destroy you..." Guzma declared, staring at him in the eyes.

"But first," he continued and looked straight at me.

"I'll destroy everything you care about! Wanna see what destruction looks like? Here it is in human form! It's ya boy Guzma!" He yells spreading his arms out and having a Pokeball in his hand. This caused me to pull out my own from my bag.

 

Lillie's POV 

"The empty sky broke asunder, a hole appearing where had been none, a single beast appeared from in it: it was named the beast that calls the moon... The king of Alola bowed before it: the beast that stole all of the heavens' light. The island guardians fought against it, but in the end they lost the fight... Then did the beast that brings the dark cast its pall on the line of kings. So would the beast that had one mark the path for all such finished things... Beast of sun and beast of a moon. Through their union, they brought new life. A fragile heir in Alola born that island guardians would keep from strife..." 

That particular line had caught my attention; a fragile heir in Alola born that island guardians would keep from strife... could this be referring to Nebby? Or someone else? I don't know... I don't quite understand any of this... I continued to read the passage from where I left off... 

"The ancient kings sang their thanks for Lunala with song of flute. Two tones rang out across the altar- a perfect pair, even after mute..." 

And now this is speaking of flutes... Just what does this all mean? A beast that steals light... beast of sun and beast of moon... a fragile heir... and a pair of flutes... If I recall, the beast of the moon is referring to Lunala. As for the beast of the sun, it could refer to Solgaleo... I... I don't quite get what this has to do with Nebby... But I feel like there could be some connection between it, this story, and potentially all of Alola... 

"Do you... want to take a break there? Your eyes are gonna pop out of your skull at this rate!" 

Jumping from surprise, I turn my head to the right where Acerola was standing from. Near my shoulder, I clenched the strap of my bag and tried to keep myself from yelping in shock. I almost forgot that Acerola was aiding me in this research... 

"Ah, oh dear... Sorry..." 

"Haha, you're awful jumpy, aren't you. Listen, how about we take a break and head off to do some shopping! What do you say, Lillie? After all, you might not be able to get stuff done if you keep filling your head with so much new knowledge!" 

She's right about that. But I... I can't... I know that if he were in my shoes, he wouldn't stop for a minute. He would keep going... Always pushing himself... My big brother... 

"Hmm? You look so serious now. Want to talk about it?" Acerola asked as she pulled a seat next to me and awaited my answer. She seemed eager to talk. I'll oblige and answer her questions. But we shouldn't be talking here. We may disrupt everyone. 

"Alright... Let's go outside. Some fresh air could do some good," I answered softly, closing the book in front of me. Acerola and I walked out from the Library and the two of us decided to stop by at the sushi restaurant that wasn't too far from the library. After an exchange of words and delicious food, I decided to tell Acerola of my woes. 

"I guess... I really was pushing myself... Trying to overwork myself until I fainted... I didn't even know that I was so hungry..." 

"Mm-hmm! Look at you! You nearly ate all of your plates!" 

Looking down at my plate, and feeling the fullness in my stomach, I couldn't help but think of the memories I had with my family. When we would all eat together at the dinner table... But after Papa... Those times at the dinner table turned to be such a nightmare with those silences... With little food served to us... I couldn't help but feel so hungry that I couldn't help but fall asleep. So brother decided to go out of his way to sneak up some bread rolls to eat... That... That may have been the last time I ever saw my big brother before he left... 

"When Luma told me that she was going to Aether Paradise... I couldn't help but think of the time I spent there... My childhood there anyway... Before I ran away..." 

"You ran away? Wait... You're from Aether Paradise, Lillie? Then that means!" 

Nodding, I revealed Acerola the truth about myself and Cosmog. 

"My... My full name is Lillie Virdis. I'm the daughter of the current president of the Aether Foundation... I lived there with her, my older brother, and my father before he disappeared... But after that day... Mother wasn't the same... she started to change... She started to neglect us... We were second to her and her research... And because of this, my brother ran away with a Pokemon that my mother created alongside the many researchers of the Aether Foundation. I was lonely, and finally decided to run away with Nebby..." 

"Yeah... Kukui told me about that. That you washed up ashore not too long ago. I'm sorry to hear, Lillie..." Acerola patted my back, as I looked down at the nearly completed plate of sushi in front of me. I felt like I was going to cry... But the tears just wouldn't come out... I didn't know why I felt the need to confess to her, but I did... I wish I could tell all of this to Luma and Hau... But I... I think I would just get in their way... But something about those two... They were much different than other trainers. 

Hau, albeit he is a little rash, does care about everyone whether they be other trainers or Pokemon. He wants to do what he can to succeed in his goals in succeeding his grandfather. Even though it would seem like he would be in his shadow... 

And Luma... She's so strong. So kind. The way she puts everything and everyone before herself. Even when she first moved here... She saved Nebby even though she was defenseless... Twice! 

Yet what am I doing... I follow them wherever they go... supporting them from the sidelines... I wish... That there was more I can do for them... And for mother and Gladion too... 

 

Narrator POV

A roaring thunder could be heard as Vivo, Luma's newly evolved Vikavolt, had gathered its aura and was preparing for a Z-Move.

"Roaring adamant thunder crashing from the heavens above, show no mercy to my opponent and guide us to promised supremacy!" She chanted and passionately moved her arms to use the Electrium-Z crystal.

"Gigavolt Havoc!"

A burst of thunder crashed towards the weakened Golisopod and defeated the hard shell Pokémon in one fell swoop. Vivo flew back to its trainer and held its head high in pride as Luma patted it gently, praising it.  
Guzma stood back and nearly fell backwards from where he stood.

"N-nice work... I guess..." he whispered. But looked down at the ground. Until...

"Guzma!!!! What is wrong with you?!" He yelled at the top of his lungs and messed with his hair, but it looked more like he was scratching it viscously... this left Luma dumbfounded at his actions, until he collected himself and put his hands in his pockets.

"Now's the time for your vaunted team to let loose and destroy everything!"

"Uhh... you're kinda taking this hard, aren't you?" She said nervously giggling and scratching the back of her neck.

"Luma, right? Well I'll remember you... as someone I'll be happy to beat down anytime!" He shouted, pointing at the girl.

"I think you have it backwards...  
I was the one who beat you down..."

The man walks off, mildly shoving the girl out of his way. His lackeys followed suit and left Luma with a warning.

"Don't mess with the boss, yo! You don't want him to get serious!"

The girl just stood idly as the grunts ran off, catching up to their "boss".

"Team Skull will have to lock their wounds now! Getting beat by a child just doing her trials!"

"Aye, Luma! You are one righteous trainer!"  
"Did you see that girl?"

"Man, this kid is insane man!"

Everyone talked about Luma's battle and she came to be known as the "kid who beat Team Skull's fearsome leader."

"Hey, I remember her! She was the girl who battled in the battle royal!"

"Yeah, that's the "shooting star"!"

"Huh?" The girl muttered, pointing at herself with a goofy grin on her face.

"Woo! Shooting star?! That's the Champion of Stars right there!" 

"Ah... Shucks guys... It's nothing... I just... uh..." Luma looked down at her feet as Kukui approached her. 

"Woo, Luma! Those were some nice moves! I can feel my soul shaking!"

"Gee, thanks Professor. I can't thank you enough," Luma said, looking up at the Professor.

"So, feeling better now?"  
"Huh?"

Professor Kukui looked at the girl and put his hand on her shoulder.

"Hau mentioned to me that you've been feeling down in the dumps since you left the foundation, cousin. Was it your battle with the Ultra Beast?" The Professor questioned.  
Luma looked down at her feet and looked at her bracelet.

"I don't really remember what happened, but I remember Prim and I were battling the Ultra Beast. Then it was coming after me, and my bracelet started glowing this bright light. Before I knew it, Hau was with me and the Ultra Beast disappeared."

"Woah, now that is all kinds of strange, yeah," the Professor replied.

"Where did you get that thing, Luma? It's obvious it isn't from Alola. So did you get it from Kanto?" He continued.

Luma raised her wrist and looked at the moonstone on her bracelet.

"It was a gift from my dad when I was just a toddler, so I don't know."

Professor Kukui put his hand to his chin and looked at the bracelet

"Maybe we can have Burnet examine this thing when we get back to Akala, cousin. But you still wanna complete those trials, huh," he said.

"Yeah, we can worry about this thing later," Luma replied.

"Oh yeah! I almost forgot to give you something super important! Here you go cousin."

Kukui handed her a blue crystal with an engraving of what looks like Primarina's profile.

"What's this? A Z-crystal?"  
"That's right! This is the Z-Crystal for Primarina, the final evolution of Popplio you chose! The Primarium-Z!"

She let out a breath of air as she grasped the crystal in her hands and put it in her bag.

"Thank you, Professor! Oh yeah, I have something to give you, too!" The girl dug through her purse and pulled out a wrestler mask. When he spots what she had in her hands, his eyes widened and let out a small yelp, kinda like his Rockruff, but less cute.

"U-uh that mask you've got there, Luma... Molayne gave you that, yeah?"

She nodded in agreement.

"I-I'll take it if you don't mind. I can make sure it gets back to the Masked Royal safe and sound... so may I have it back," he says in desperation, his hands inches from the mask.

"Okay, whatever you say," the girl replied, giving the mask to the Professor.

"Hmm? And what about Lillie? You lose her somewhere, Luma?"

"Oh yeah, she was reading up on a couple of things at the library. But other than that, I dunno where she is."

"I'm right here."

"And so it Acerola!"

voices chimed from the entrance. The doll like girl walked up to the two with her hands on her bag straps and Acerola, the girl they met in the library who helped the two girls search for the book on helping them look for clues about Nebby and the temples, by her side.

"And Hau?" The Professor said,  
Looking for the boy.

"Probably at a Malasada shop knowing him," Luma said, scratching her cheek.  
Lillie however, shook her head and looked at the two with worry in her eyes.

"You and the Professor fought those horrible Team Skull thugs, Luma? Just thinking about it makes me worry... they sound like a scary group..." she said.

"You think? I don't know, exchanging a few moves in battle is the quickest way to get to know someone in my book," the Professor chuckled.

"Yeah, it really does," Luma said, looking at everyone. With all the people she battled in her mind. Her mind wandering to Hau, who she first saw as hasteful and "an act first, think later," kind of guy. Then to the Team Skull Enforcer. Her hand felt warm all of a sudden, but when she looked at it, nothing was there.

"Well!" Kukui shouted, stretching his arms.  
"I'm going to head up Mount Lanakila. Keep training hard on your Island challenge, Luma, and one day you'll make it there!" Kukui said as he ran out, waving to the three kids.

"Also, be sure not to push yourself too hard, Luma..." Lillie said, giving Luma a batch of medicines and ethers for her Pokémon.

"Will do, thanks Lillie," Luma nodded.

"Luma!" Acerola chimed in.

"You made it through Sophocles's trial, huh? Then the next trial is up past Route 11 through Tapu Village! If you get lost, then ask someone for directions," she continued with a cheer.

"And as for you! You're coming with me to do some shopping!"

With that, Acerola dragged Lillie out of the garden and left Luma all alone, walking out of the garden and making her way to the next trial.

 

-time skip-

 

Luma's POV

"Whew..."

I stood before the sign signifying that Route 13 was the current location.

"One last oasis before the desert sands, huh?" 

I said to myself and walked ahead of the sign planted on the ground.

"Luma! Hey wait up!"

I turned when I heard someone call my name and saw Hau running to my direction and right in front of me.

"Woah! Slow down there, Hau! No need to be such a rushed rapidash," I giggled with his enthusiasm.

"Yeah! But I heard the news from Sophocles! You helped him out with testing da kine, yeah? That... Totem-Calling machine or whatever?"

"Yeah, why?"

"I guess I was test subject number two! But I managed to get through the trial, maybe even managed to get a bit stronger, eh?" he chimed with enthusiasm, flowers practically blooming from his head.

"Haha! That's great, Hau," I said, flashing a toothy grin and clapping my hands together.

"And what about you? Are you feelin' better?"

"Yeah! No way I'm letting some overgrown Frillish rain down on my parade," I said, raising my arm into a flex Rosie the Riveter style. 

"Ha! Yep!"

We both laughed it off and put our hands on our hips like a pair of superheroes, that is until we heard a familiar voice. One that would send an unsuspecting shiver down my spine. 

"You only have one volume, don't you?Haven't you heard the expression that silence is golden?" 

We both turned when we heard a familiar voice resonate the area. It was Gladion, who overheard us.

"Gah! He's back!" Hau shouted, stepping back.  
I just stood there, and realized something about him...

'Blonde hair... Pale skin... and emerald eyes that pierced through the soul...' I thought to myself... and instantly looked at my bracelet and back at the Edgy looking character, whom was stepping down from the stairs of the motel.

"Listen, Team Skull is looking for a Pokémon called Cosmog... do you know anything?"

"......"

I just stood there, i only caught bits of what he was saying, but the visit from Aether kept replaying in my head... from the first step I took there to the blinding flash of light... just... what was going on?

"What?! N-not that we'd tell you, right Luma?!" Hau shouted and I snapped out of my trance.

"Huh? What?" I said, putting my hand down and held it down in place with my other arm.  
Gladion looked down and knew by our actions that something wasn't right.

"So you do know something... Look, Cosmog isn't even a strong Pokémon, but it has the potential to summon Pokémon so terrifyingly strong that you don't even know..." he explained.

We heard him out and thought back at the events in Aether... Was he... talking about the Ultra Beasts? Wait, how does he even know about them?

"All you have to know is that if something like that happened, it would be a disaster for Alola..."

"A disaster? Like... a real disaster? Then what're we suppose to do about it?" Hau exclaimed.

"H-he's right, I mean... we're just a couple of kids on their island trials. what can we do to stop a disaster?" I questioned, clenching my wrist.

"Protect it! If you do know where Cosmog is or if you do find anything out..." he stopped himself and looked at me. His eyes seemed to be filled with a stern content and worry.

"just keep it safe," he continued, but in a quieter tone.

"I-I..." i stuttered. My hand slightly shaking.  
"But... I can't-"

I stopped when he put a hand on my shoulder, which calmed my nerves somehow... but he turned his head to Hau.

"I know I might be working for Team Skull right now, so you may not trust me or even care... but I'm going to tell you just this once. You have to protect Cosmog... no matter what," he said to Hau, but then got close to my ear.

"As for you, just forget what you saw. There's no need for you to get dragged into this," he whispered.

This kind of upset me. I couldn't help it, but I slightly shoved him out of the way. 

"N-no way!" I shook my head, placing my hand on my chest. He backed away a little more.

"I can't just forget! I know what I saw! And I maybe be scared now, and yeah I may say some distasteful words, but I can't just stand here twiddling my thumbs while some disaster's making it's way here!" I raised my voice.

He walked past us and made his way to the exit, but not without stopping.

"Hmph... fine, do whatever," he said, turning his head. 

 

Gladion's POV

"I still don't even understand how Team Skull found out about Cosmog in the first place..." I muttered, looking back at the girl.

She's scared... yet still wants to fight... she's resilient, I'll give her that much. But whatever happened in Aether must've hurt her emotionally the way her arms were shaking in fear.

"What do you mean 'no matter what?' You just gonna leave us hanging?!" The boy beside her was yelling out... I can't blame him for the way he's acting... but I can't tell them... not now.

All I could do was just walk away from the current situation and let them be... hoping things turn for the better. Guess I'll be the one to twiddle his thumbs for the time being.

 

Hau's POV

"Luma..."

I turned towards my friend and saw that she was looking at that guy leave. Did something happen between those two? But I can't help but wonder now... what's gonna happen to Lillie...

"If they're really looking for Cosmog, then... is Lillie gonna be okay?"

"Hmm... I'm not too sure, but let's check up on them."

I nodded at her and turned my back to where she can see it and walked ahead, but not without stopping and telling Luma a couple o' things.

"I don't really get what's going on, but we've just got to keep both of them safe, right?"

"Right."

"Then I know what I'm gonna do... I'm gonna take on my next trial so I can get even stronger!" I shouted.

"I'm gonna complete my island challenge, and I'm gonna get Tapu Koko to recognize my strength, and then I'm gonna be the next island Kahuna! I want to make sure more and more people can have fun battling to see who wins or loses!"

I turned back to Luma and pumped my fist into the air like a mighty Machamp.

"Luma! Let's both try to become real champions!"

She nods and pumps her fist in the air, too.

"Yeah!"


	13. Danger's Just Around the Corner

Narrator POV

Walking along the path toward Aether House alongside the Ghost Trial Captain, Acerola. After her trial in the abandoned Poke Mart, Luma had thought back from the Acerola who had haunted the door beyond the desolated store. The way she screamed... It lingered in her mind... and not in a good way...

"Ugh... As if I needed any more things to scare me..."

"Hehe! Yeah, sure. Keep that joke up and I just might believe you, Luma!" 

But as she pondered in her thoughts, she was about to approach the Aether House once more. But there was a lot more company than just the children and their Yungoos. 

"What the heck is Team Skull doing here? And that woman is with them!" 

Upon realizing the presence of the Team Skull Admin, Plumeria, and Hau encountering the scoundrels, Luma had taken top speed toward the crowd and immediately stopped beside Hau, who seemed relieved to see her. 

"Luma! And Acerola, too?! Oh, am I glad to see you!" 

"Back so soon, hmm? I wasn't expecting you just yet. It takes these dumb Grunts way too long to deal with you, kids..." 

"Haha, sorry for being so strong? Actually, I take it back! You guys were the first to come at my friends here! The same going for one of your grunts harassing Lillie earlier! So let's settle this here and now, Plumeria!" Luma declared as she held one of her Pokeballs in her hands. 

"So I guess it's my turn now? Alright then... I did tell you before... Next time you get in our way, I'm not holding anything back! Come on, Golbat!" Plumeria had tossed a Pokeball, bringing out the familiar Blue Bat Pokemon with a big gaping mouth. While Luma had brought out her Ninetails who immediately initiated an Aurora Beam from behind, knocking down Golbat in one fell swoop. However, it was able to get a hit on Kyu with Poison Fang, weakening it significantly. 

"Okay, switch out, Kyu! Let's send in Revi and hit 'em with an Earthquake!" 

"I don't think so! Salazzle! Flame Burst! Burn her tree to ash!" 

As soon as Revi was ready to attack with Earthquake, Salazzle was just too quick and was able to gain a super effective critical hit against Revi, who was knocked down at the first shot. Cringing, Luma returned her Trevenant and switched in Prim in hopes he would gain the upper hand against Plumeria's Salazzle. However, Salazzle was quick enough to attack with a Sludge Bomb, weakening Prim significantly. But luckily, he still stood tall. 

"You okay, Prim?" Prim nodded toward his trainer and awaited his next commands. Luma nodded and figured to try the new move Prim learned as soon as it evolved; Sparkling Aria. But thanks to the enormous amount of Z Power she had, if Luma were to initiate another Z Move, she would be putting everyone else in harm's way. She needed to think and quick how she could utilize this. 

"What's the matter? Cold feet? What happened to all that gusto you had earlier?" Plumeria had asked with a hope to provoke Luma into attacking her so that she can initiate a counterattack against Prim. But Luma nodded to Prim, with Prim understanding what Luma may have planned. 

"Nah. I'll admit. You got me last time... However... I still got a trick up my sleeve..." 

Prim uttered a small song from its' mouth in hopes of distracting Salazzle. But it was not having any of it, and neither was Plumeria, who stood with a smirk on her face. 

"You really are running out of ideas if you're hoping on making us fall asleep. Take them down! One last Sludge Bomb oughta do it!" 

But before Salazzle could attack, a burst of water appeared from nowhere and attacked Salazzle from behind. After hitting one, another would attack! And then another after that! It was like a chain reaction! And Salazzle had succumbed to it! Before Plumeria knew it, she was defeated. 

"No way... You used your Pokemon's Song ability to distract us?! You wanted us to attack you?!" 

"I dunno... You tell me rather than running your flap, missy," Luma responded high fiving Prim and praising it before she returned it to her Pokeball, but very soon when Plumeria had sulked in her defeat, Luma had whispered something to Revi's Pokeball... 

"We'll heal you soon, okay? Just hold on a little longer, Revi..." 

 

Luma's POV

Acerola, Hau and I had just defeated Plumeria and her ragtag gang of Team Skull Grunts, leaving Plumeria frustrated.

"Hmph! I can't even stand myself now... but I guess you are pretty tough... now I understand why my grunts waste so much time battling kids," she groaned. After returning Revi's Pokeball back into my bag, I finally snapped... 

"Ugh, That does it!" I said putting a hand on my hips.

"Hmm?" Plumeria replied.

"I'm tired of you guys picking on all these people, my friends, and all the Pokémon!"

I point towards Plumeria and had an enraged expression on my face. Plumeria seemed to be smirking however from my actions.

"It's time you guys stop your little reign of terror and release all of the Pokémon you've captured! I won't have you guys causing trouble in this region anymore!"

"Well, if you want us to return the Pokémon we took, then you'll have to come to us..."

Her smirk then disappeared as she made her way towards me and stopped inches at where I was standing and looked me in the eyes.

"Alone..."

I was a little shaken by the sudden turn of events and felt my heart beat out of my chest... that means Hau and everyone else had to stay behind... it'll be just me and my Pokémon... I raised my head and clenched my teeth.

"Luma go alone?! That insane! Her against all of you guys-"

"I'll do it," I interrupted Hau and looked at Plumeria, who smirked and nodded, backing away from me.

"I'll go... alone with my Pokemon... but when I'm taking you guys down, you can't lay a finger on my friends... understand?"

"Hmmph, see you at our base in Po Town. The boss is dying to meet you," she said and walked off, leaving my breath growing thin and everyone shook up. I sighed and turned to Hau, who was frowning and looked down, muttering to himself.

Acerola, on the other hand, ran inside of the house shouting for concern. I realized that not only Lillie was there, but the kids too. I followed suit and witnessed the little girl with the boy crying and wailing.

"M-my Yungoos," she whined.

"We can't forgive this! Darn, those numbskulls actually did something pretty clever for once! We gotta do something..." Acerola said, looking at the child with concern...

"But if we want to get the Pokémon back, then Luma has to go to Po Town... all alone with no backup," Hau said in a somber tone and looked straight at me.

"Luma... I-I'm sorry, I couldn't protect them... it's my fault you have to go alone."

"Hey, don't be such a worry weedle. I said that I was going, didn't I?" 

"B-but you're gonna be in danger because... I couldn't stop them..."

I put my hand on Hau's shoulder and shook my head, assuring him I'll be fine.

"Besides, I may have kinda knew something like this was gonna happen. So give me a couple of hours and I'll be back in a jiffy!"

Hau stared at me and nodded quickly. Lillie walked towards me and looked at me with just as much worry as Hau.

"Pokémon being abducted like that... maybe even hurt... I just can't stand the idea! Luma! Please... be careful... and help them!"

I nodded at Lillie and Acerola saw me to the exit, telling me of a man in a kimono who would aid me on my way past Route 16 and onto Po Town, and with that, my siege into Team Skull's private playground had just begun as a walked out of the doors and into the sprinkling rain.

Narrator POV

it had been at least an hour since Luma had moved out and made her way to Po Town. The kids were still looking down at the ground while Lillie and Acerola waited near the door and Hau was pacing from one side of the room to the other.

"This is taking a while, what if she's gotten herself hurt... what if a bunch of those guys double team her and she are in a rut?"

"Hey, hey, we can't go thinking like that. Luma's gonna come back soon with not just that Yungoos, but everyone else's Pokémon that got snatched away by Team Skull!" Acerola chimed with mixed emotions.

"Acerola' right, its only been an hour since she left. I-I mean it does take a little time to get to Po Town from here, especially when you gotta go from Lapras," Lillie stuttered a bit, trying to calm the situation.

"I-Is that lady going to be okay? What if she gets eaten by a bunch of Gyarados on her way to the bad guys?" One of the children said, with tears in his eyes. The little girl just wailed and cried once  
more at the thought of such a thing happening.

Hau only got even more worried when the thought of a group of Gyarados coming by and snatching the girl into the sea. But quickly shook off the idea and continued pacing.

Half of an hour passed and still nothing. No Luma. no Pokémon. Nothing but uneasiness filling the room. Everyone sat around the lobby while Cosmog went out of its bag and floated alongside Lillie, trying to calm everyone down with its small actions and a tiny smile. There was nothing but silence and small sniffles of the little ones until another hour had flown by. The silence of the room was finally silenced when Hau stood up from where he was sitting and grunted impatiently.

"This is taking forever! Someone's gotta go after her!"

"C-Calm down, Hau! We have to be patient!" Lillie shouted quietly and stood up from her seat and clenched the strap of her bag.

"I dunno... I think we have a right to be worried right about now, Luma's probably at Po Town's front door as we speak," Acerola said looking out at the window.

Hau couldn't help but make his way to the door and head towards the exit. He turned his head as he opened the door and let the cold breeze and the sound of rain inside the building.

"M-Mister? Where are you going?!" The little boy shouted, rubbing his arms against the cold.

"Acerola, take care of Lillie and the kids. I'll be right back," He said.

"Pew?" Cosmog chimed.

"Hau! What are you doing? You know that Luma would have to go alone, don't you? Who knows what Team Skull will do if they find you! They might use you to get what they want from Luma," Lillie yelled, trying to convince Hau in staying.

"I know that, which is why I'm not going... but I may know someone who'll help her!"

Hau ran straight into the rain and sprinted from Aether House and towards Route 13, the last place he saw Gladion.

Hau's POV

Okay, gotta think here... where was he going? Oh, that's right... I don't know... what if he's already at Po Town or something? Either way, if he can help her, then I just gotta find Gladion. I kept thinking where he may have gone, and got my pager, calling over a Tauros and making my way towards a path that led me toward what looks like a power plant.

I went inside and asked the people about him.

"Hey! Have you seen a guy with blonde hair? He's got edgy clothing, some red shoes and I think he also has that scary look in his eyes. Oh! And he always frowns, too."

But I kept getting the same answer.

"Sorry, kid."

"Can't help you there."

"He sounds scary... I don't wanna find anyone like that!"

Okay, maybe not the last one since I asked a little kid about that one. But it was still driving me insane... I was getting my pager from my pocket and ride back to Aether House with my head held low... but praise Arceus! This guy who was making his way to Route 17 said that he spotted him going back to Route 12 why he went back I have no idea. But I made my way towards Route 13 and rushing towards Route 12. But that was until-

"Why are you running around like such a madman?"

"...?!"

I stopped running and nearly fell in the process, but turned around to see the edgelord himself. Cmon Hau... say that you need his help in helping Luma... but that wasn't that came outta my mouth.

"I found you!"

"...what?"

Well, that was the most deadpan 'what' I've ever heard, and maybe not the best thing to say to the person you've been looking for the past half hour! Speaking of, I can't waste any more time!

"You're apart of Team Skull, aren't you? Then you should be able to stop them, right? Right?!"

"Do you mind explaining why you're looking for me?"

I gathered my thoughts and tried my best to explain the situation about Luma going to Po Town to settle the score with their leader and freeing all of the Pokémon taken by them. Not to mention, I couldn't get anyone like the trial Captains or the Kahuna of this island to help her except maybe Acerola, but I needed someone to protect Lillie and those kids in case Team Skull comes back to rough them up. After finishing up my explanations, Gladion just placed his hand on his hips and looked at me with his usual frown and glare.

"You're not as stupid as you look for trying to look for me, but I doubt I can be of any use to you..."

"What? Why?!"

"Don't you remember Route 8? I'm not exactly on good terms with the grunts. As for Guzma, he does what he wants. Besides, he's the one who sent the Grunts after her ever since she interfered with them back in Melemele... besides."

I looked at him as he turned away and tried walking from me.

"That girl brought this on herself. If she hadn't interfered, she wouldn't be putting herself in danger."

I clenched my fist and gritted my teeth, and did the unthinkable. But if it's to help my friend, then I'll punch this guy in the face! Okay, I may be going a little too far there.

"Don't you care what happens to her?!"

"Hmm?"

I was kind of shaking but kept my feet planted on the ground.

"Don't get me wrong, I don't really like you very much... and as much as I wanna run over there and help Luma battle Team Skull and continue our Island challenges, I know that I'm not as strong as her and that it was my fault that she's in this mess..."

He turned to me and saw my fists shaking. I guess something must've got to him. I know that if I was in Luma's shoes, I would be frozen in my own fear like I was attacked with an Icy Wind or an Aurora Beam. But Luma took a chance and accepted the challenge, throwing herself in danger's wake.

I'm pretty jealous of her for that... and what she did when she first got to Alola... jumping in front of a flock of Spearow to save Nebby and nearly falling to an early grave is something I would never even think of if I moved to a new region. But she didn't care... she just wanted the little guy to be safe. Even in Aether Paradise! Before battling that thing, she said something under her breath, but I still heard her...

"We have to... we need to keep everyone here safe..."

"Be careful, Hau!"

She's a pretty selfless person now that I think about it... but still, I need to get stronger, and not just to protect Luma and Lillie, but everyone back on the Island! But I know that I won't be able to do much since I would have to devote most of my time on Melemele, but like Tutu put his trust on me and Luma to become amazing trainers, then I gotta put my trust on this guy!

"But at the very least, I can get her help! I need you to help Luma while I protect Cosmog if they come back!" 

Gladion's POV

I knew that they were hiding something about Cosmog. I felt my eyes widen and my body tense up when this boy mentioned the Pokémon and tried thinking this through...

I could go to where Cosmog is and see for myself that he isn't lying about it and let him go to Po Town and protect that girl himself.

But knowing Luma, she could really screw herself over, and having Hau alongside her would just make her time there even worse. But I also wanted to see Luma... her actions the last time we met were still in my head. It could be what happened back in that place. Whatever they did to her, I will not stand for.

"Fine... I'll help if you stop your whining. But this better not be a waste of my time..."

"Aue! Thanks!"

Well, that hurt my ears...

"Where is she?"

"Luma left for Po Town as soon as she heard that one of the kids at Aether House got their Yungoos taken away. So she went to try and free it and all the other Pokémon Team Skull have."

Is he serious?

"I'll be heading there... for now, you head back to where Cosmog is if it really is with you."

"Right! I'll summon Charizard so you can get there faster! I leave Luma to you!"

The boy in front of me brought out his pager and a Charizard instantly flew by and landed beside us, allowing me to climb on and Hau telling it the destination to fly to.

Narrator POV 

Rain... 

Rain pouring from above as if this was the only spot of rain that had existed in all of Alola... 

A trail of defeated Team Skull grunts laid knocked down on the soaked floor. Healing her Pokemon with a couple of Skull Grunts for 10 Pokedollars. Not only that, but she was able to strip one of the knocked down grunts of their clothes and disguised herself as another one of the grunts and continued her siege against Team Skull. Sneaking off alongside her Primarina, who made all of them fall asleep with their songs with every grunt they came across. And the others that couldn't fall asleep, she had no choice but to beat them in a swift manner. She and her Pokemon were much like a team of assassins. Their mission? To defeat the boss of Team Skull...


	14. A Hearty "No" To Let You Go; Save The Yungoos!

Luma's POV

"Guzma's favorite move?"

"Beat Up."

"Guzma's Favorite Pokémon?"

"Golisopod."

"Guzma's favorite drink?"

"Tapu Cocoa."

"So your answers are Beat Up, Golisopod, and Tapu Cocoa... are you sure?"

"Y- No!"

And with those answers, I made my way outside towards a busted window and found two more grunts guarding the door.

"You got that crazy quizzz right, clever kid! I knew you could! Now onto the boss's room!"

I nodded and made my way toward the two grunts. They were looking at me with eyes of fear...

"What? You want some, too?" I said, trying to imitate a Grunt. But they just stared at me with the same widened eyes.

"You think it was a good idea to come here? Or maybe it would've been better not to?"

What?

"I think you know the answer inside you."

Hmm...

"You think it's a good idea to go in there? Man, you don't know fear, do you?!"

I walked past the grunts and put my hand on the doorknob. But before I could turn it, I turned my head towards the two.

"If pummeling to your death as soon as you moved to the new region doesn't count as fear... then I guess I'm a lot tougher than I look."

I turned the knob and was brought to a room with a king-sized bed, a shelf with a collection of empty glass bottles, and Guzma standing in front of a purple throne and the Yungoos from Aether House along with various Buginium Z crystals guarded by a Grunt who stood alongside a lamp, a globe, and a vase. I took off the Bandana and the hat from my head and revealed myself to Guzma, who seemed surprised, yet oddly excited. 

"The hated boss who beats you down and beats you down and never lets up... yeah... big bad Guzma is here!"

I stepped forward and listened to his rambling.

"I don't really get you kid, but at least this is a change of pace. It's not every day someone comes straight to me for a beating!"

"I'm not here for you, I'm here for the Pokémon..."

"No bone to pick with me, huh?"

"Nah, I have a bone to pick with you, I'm just more concerned about the Yungoos standing behind your little lackey there."

"Aww... How sweet of you to help out a sad little girl." Guzma tried intimidating me with a high pitched whiny tone and clicked his tongue in annoyance as I stood unfazed.

"Kew..."

I tried not to panic since I knew if I did, Guzma would be getting just what he wanted. I turned towards the Yungoos and winked at it, giving a small smirk, reminding it that it'll be okay.

"And you came all the way here just for that, huh? Can't you just watch out for your Pokémon and stay out of other people's business?!"

"I should be telling you the same thing, mister," I said and put my hands on my hips and turned my attention towards him.

"Well, you wanna know what I do when some machine messes up? The first thing I do is give it a nice hard smack! I mean, most of the time I smash it into pieces, but hey, what can you do?"

"Can you just shut up and battle me already? I haven't got all day, you know..."

He seemed annoyed at my remark and looked down on me from the top of his throne.

"Well then... let's see if I can't fix you!"

With that, my rematch with the Team Skull boss, Guzma had just begun. 

Meanwhile in Aether House

Lillie's POV

I look outside of the window, waiting patiently for those two to come back. I was worried about Luma, yes, but Hau seemed desperate, and it didn't help either to how he handled the situation. But it did ease my mind a little that Luma was going to have some help... that and Acerola left as well to make sure that she'll be fine or to accompany her back here.

"Pew!"

Nebby nudged my arm and floated alongside me. I looked at them with a smile on my face and kept them close to me so in case anyone comes in, then I will tell them to get in the bag. I looked at the little kids who were sleeping side by side across from me. It brought back pleasant memories of when I was back home. But it was also melancholic...

"I should go and get some water..." I said with a parched throat and got up from my seat. Only for a gust of cold air to be let in from the rain that was still pouring and for Team Skull to come in... along with another girl who was from Team Skull... I stood in fear as I heard her mention my name...

"Lillie Virdis I assume?" 

"Wh-What?" I stood to see a young woman from Team Skull stand beside the door. But... I don't understand...

"Hey... What's going on?" Oh no. They've woken up. 

"Team Skull? Hey! You promised Miss Luma you wouldn't hurt anyone!" 

"Heh. Well, that's too bad... Ever heard of something called dishonesty? 

-back in Po Town-

Luma's POV

"First Impression!"

"....!"

Vivo was suddenly attacked by Guzma's Golisopod after he used Sword's dance on it. He's really going for an all-out offensive. Two can play that game...

"Vivo! Use Acrobatics!"

The attack went through, but it didn't do too much. But when Golisopod was nearly out, Guzma returned it and sent out his Ariados. I did the same and sent out my Alolan Ninetails.

"Alright! Let's go and use Extrasensory!"

She complied and used it to attack, but got hit by the oncoming shadow sneak.

"Jeez, is this all you got?"

"Hmph, you really wanna go there?"

I pointed at the Ariados and told Kyu to use Aurora Beam. She complied and was able to take down the Ariados. But as time passed, she fainted by the Hard Scale Pokémon, which caused me to send out my newly evolved Trevenant, Revi.

"Cmon girl.. you know you can't beat me, you're down to your last pokemon... what good is that? You just might as well give up and accept your loss!"

He chuckled loudly and paid no heed that I had a smirk on my face... 

Gladion's POV

I managed to get to Po Town and battled most of the grunts who were planning on ambushing Luma as soon as she got out of the manor. I made it towards the door only to hear a battle going on. It must be between her and Guzma. The two grunts who were guarding the door were looking at it and tried hearing what was going on.

"Th-this girl... is the boss gonna lose to her again?"

"Yo! Don't say that! She's just some little girl! She's nothin'! Soon as she steps out, we'll beat her down ourselves! She's probably not that tough when it comes to an old-fashioned fist fight!"

I stepped in front of the door with Null beside me and prepared to battle the grunts in front of me.

"Tch! How annoying..."

Suddenly a light came bursting through the cracks of the door and a gasp could be heard from in the room. Along with a voice.

"By the powers of Mother Nature and Father Time, you'll reap what you've sown!"

"Boss! She's using a Z- Move!"

The grunts then ran from the door, allowing me to return Null and step back from the door.

"Trevenant! Bloom Doom!"

various flower petals blow from the door that was busted open along with the shining light of the Z move enveloping the manor. But after the light left, I looked through the room behind the wall and saw Golisopod on me ground and Luma and her Trevenant standing triumphantly with flower petals scattered across the floor from what I assumed to have been the Grassium Z.

"Hehe, guess we went a little overboard... didn't we Revi..."

I smirked and walked from the door and went outside to the roof and made my way out of the manor.

"I knew there was nothing to worry about..." 

Narrator POV

"GUZMA!! WHAT IS WRONG WITH YOU!?"

Luma stood straight, returning Trevenant to its Pokeball and kept her head held high, waiting for the Yungoos to be returned. Guzma looked towards the grunt, causing him to quake in fear.

"Yo! Give the Pokémon back to the kid! NOW!"

It ran towards Luma and gave a coo of gratitude before running outside.

"Tch! I'm gonna beat you down one of these days! No matter whose help I need to do it!"

With that remark, Guzma and the grunt left the room and left Luma alone, who grabbed a Z- Crystal from the box.

"Huzzah! You beat that groddy goon Guzzzzma! Now letzzzz get outta this place!" Rotom chimed from Luma's bag as Luma got back into her own clothes and tossed the grunt clothes aside. The two bolted through the manor and back outside, but not without finding a couple of items along the way.

The cooling rain still descending from the dark cloudy sky, Luma advanced out of Po Town and found the person who helped her get into Po Town in the first place.

"Have I got you to thank for this? This thing must've been scared half to death if it's glad to see a wretch like me... what a lot of hassle..."

Yungoos stood beside the man, shaking from the cold of the rain and fear of being taken from its trainer. The man looked at Luma with his hands in his pockets and an apathetic look on his face.

"A trial goer, huh? Figures... I'm not gonna fight someone who is taking on Team Skull..."

"Hmm?"

The man tended to Luma's Pokémon before telling her to leave the seemingly abandoned town, but not without looking around the town itself and made a remark on how there were not as many Team Skull grunts outside today.

"Guess some of 'em might have run off after seeing their boss get beat..."

"Hmm... maybe...."

"Uncle Nanu!"

Acerola was seen running to the two in the rain, revealing the identity of this man to be Nanu, Acerola's uncle?

"Aue! I'm so sorry... you must've been so scared, huh?"

"What are you doing here Acerola? What about the others?"

"Hau wanted to get some help for you, so he ran out to find some, and I guess Nanu here was nice enough to oblige!"

Luma closed her eyes and smiled, thinking of what lengths he went through to find Nanu.

"Thanks, Luma! Really! You really are something!"

But the smile then turned to concern once she put two and two together.

"Wait... Acerola... who's with Lillie and the kids?"

"Hmm? They're just back at the Aether House. I figured they'd be safe there now that... Wait... Luma... You don't mean that..."

"This isn't good... I don't remember seeing Plumeria in there... That could only mean..." 

Luma suddenly panicked a little and ask that they return their immediately. Acerola obliged, albeit confused and the two bid Nanu farewell and went back to Aether House, with footsteps following their trail.

"Let'zzzz go back to Aether House! R-right away, bucko!"

'Please let them be okay, please let them be okay!' Was all that resonated in Luma's head, praying for their safety.

When she and Acerola got there, she was greeted with the door open. Hau was knocked out on the floor and the kids in a frenzy.

"What happened? You guys looked like you've seen a ghost!" Acerola said with concern in her voice.

"Hau! Hau, C'mon! Wake up, buddy! Say something! A-Anything will do!" 

Hau seemed okay with the way his chest resonated with his breathing and regained consciousness. His face twisted in pain as he got up out of his back and felt the bump that was on the back of his head. 

"Ugh... Luma? A-Are you back? But... Where's..."

The kids ran towards the two and confirmed the worst.

Lillie and Cosmog had been taken away by Team Skull...

"Lillie..."


	15. Knockout

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So this chapter is pretty special... This Chapter... Is exclusive to this version of Champion of the Stars... As I reread the chapter after this one, I felt as though Lillie and Plumeria needed more development. Same going for our unconscious friend. It may be a wee bit short for some's taste, but even so...
> 
> I do hope you enjoy this portion of the chapter...

Hau's POV 

Whew... Thank goodness... He's willing to help us. Here's hoping things go well... Now to get back to Lillie and the others! I have to get back to Aether House before anything else happens. But even so, more bad stuff was gonna happen as a group of Team Skull Grunts. 

Lillie's POV 

"Y-you people..." 

I... I don't know what to do... If I run with these children, then they'll only get hurt... But what else could I do? 

"Not gonna disappear this time, huh? Seems like maybe the tall tales we heard about you were wrong..." 

So she's heard of me... Then that could only mean one thing... They know of her... Could they be working together? I got so scared. I couldn't move. I felt like Cottonee were in my throat. But I... I still... 

"What? Not gonna say anything? You really are disappointing me here..." 

"Th-That was different..."

"Come again?" 

"That was different! Nebby and I were both in trouble! That was the only reason why it used its power. So we both could escape without lives!" 

I... I raised my voice against her... Even so, she looks so unphased

"I know that I'm not capable of much myself, but I will not make it use that power again! I'm determined to not let that happen again!" 

It's true... I can't do much... But even so... That's why... This time... Luma... Hau... Thank you. If it were not for the both of you and your Pokemon, I wouldn't even be able to speak a word. Yet here I am... I guess I felt inspired by your actions... By everyone's actions... So this time! 

"This time I'll do whatever I can on my own! Even if I do find myself in trouble again!" 

"Yo, girl, you know you're in trouble right now, right? Dumb spoiled little princess!" 

He grabbed me by the wrist as he said that. I couldn't help but scream from the brute force unleashed from this grunt. I was able to break free successfully thanks to this woman named Plumeria. 

"Leave her be. Besides... I like a girl who's not afraid to stand up for herself... I don't know about calling someone a thief just because she wanted to help out a pokemon when it was suffering... Although aside from that Pokemon of yours... I propose a trade..."

A trade? What could she have that could appeal to me aside from Nebby? But what I saw next... I felt my blood curdle where it flowed as two grunts dragged Hau from the stormy weather and threw him in front of me. He... He was unconscious.

"No... Oh, Arceus no... Hau!"

Collapsing in front of him, I faced him up on his back, feeling something on his back; a bump. They knocked him unconscious. But he was still alive. I shakily sighed as I laid him on the ground. But I wanted answers... I never felt so helpless in my life... 

"Him aside, He mentioned something about Luma infiltrating Po Town. Is that right?" 

My eyes widened... Luma was still in Po Town... How long... How long had it been now since Luma proceeded with her infiltration... At this rate, I couldn't help but fear the worst for her... If Hau ended up like this by this group of Team Skull Grunts, what in the name of Arceus would happen to Luma? With Po Town being their base... That's all that swam in my mind... 

"So what's it going to be? Your Pokemon or your friends' safety? You only get one or the other, so choose wisely..." 

Why? Why is there such a need to hurt each other like this? No one deserves this... But... If I... If I keep Nebby with me, then Hau and Luma... Not only them but their Pokemon would get just as hurt as Hau. Not only that but could be taken away... But if I do go with them, Nebby... Nebby will be used as a tool; a catalyst to Mother's desires... 

"Ora!" 

"What's this?" 

The Oranguru that was standing behind the counter had proceeded to hop from behind the counter and stood in front of myself and Hau. From my time here, it just stood and kept an eye on the children here, yet here it is now; defending this place with its' safety on the line. 

"Nng... Lillie..." 

Hau spoke just now! I looked down and saw that he was just barely awake, he tried to shake off the injuries but fell back onto the ground as he tried to stand up. 

"R-Run..." 

That's all he said until he lost consciousness again; a subtle thud echoing in the room. 

I looked to the children who ran toward the Oranguru and told me to run. But... I don't... I don't want to leave them! I can't just leave them! Even if I could, those grunts would only grab me before I could leave... Even with Nebby's power, they would just send grunts all over. Nebby seemed to concur with Hau's plan and started to unleash its' power. Yet before it could, a metal net was thrown above the grunts and onto Nebby before it could unleash any more power. We all couldn't help but gasp as an electric shock kept Nebby still; a booming cry escaping its' mouth. This sort of technology... I knew only one place that would hold such items... Not only that, but a Focus Blast had struck the Oranguru in its' tracks, knocking it out, and leaving us defenseless... 

"The lot of you are ruffians, you could've just snatched it from her..." 

Faba? But how did he find me? More importantly, why is he with Team Skull? 

"We gave her a choice-" 

"You think simple threats could get you results? Very well, then I might as well take care of this myself... Miss Lillie, you will come with me... Hypno, use Psychic and pin her to the wall. Once you have her in your sights, hypnotize her." 

The Hypno that stood alongside Faba had proceeded to envelop its' energy onto me. I couldn't... I couldn't move! My body... My body felt stiff. Not only that, but I felt like I was flying in the air. Butterfree began to engulf my stomach as I was slammed into the wall near the desk. The children were just as baffled that all they could do what stand in hear alongside the defeated Hau and Oranguru. I tried to shake out of control, but despite my efforts, I was unable to shake free from the Psychic grasp. My head started to move on its' own toward the direction of the people in front of me. 

"What are you doing?!" I heard Plumeria shouting. 

"Obtaining Miss Lillie and Cosmog! Something that the lot of you were assigned to do! Now stay out of my way and once she falls asleep, we'll take her back to Aether Paradise..." 

No... No! Please... There's no need to hurt anyone else here! I'll go with you willingly! Whatever you want! Just, please... Please! Don't hurt anyone... Anyone else... 

My... eyes... they feel so... so heavy... The Hypno... It's using Hypnosis... I... I don't... 

"Neb...by... Please... Luma..." 

That was all I was able to say... My eyes had closed shut, and my conscious began to fade... The last sight I was able to see before falling to sleep was the Hypno's attack, Plumeria looking away in disgust, the children looking in fear, and Hau laying down on his back. Other than that, my conscious that then drifted away...


	16. A Blinding Rage; A Waste of Time

"No... no that can't be...." Luma's eyes were as wide as Solrocks when she heard the news of Lillie's kidnapping.

"That Plumeria lady came back as soon as Big Sis Acerola left," the little boy uttered.

"Oh no... so that's why you wanted to get back to Aether House so soon. Because you knew that they might come back! I can't believe those guys actually did something clever for once!" Acerola exclaimed, realizing why she was left to take care of Lillie when Hau left.

"...Still. It doesn't make sense. why would Faba be with Team Skull? Even so..." Luma whispered in a blood-curdling rage. It was at that moment that she approached the desk and looked away from everyone. There, she slammed her fist on to the counter and cursed under her breath.

"I'm supposed to be a trainer! But when it came to it, Lillie had to protect me... Lillie, who's not even a trainer, to begin with!" Hau shouted in shame, with a frown on his face.

"No... This isn't your fault, Hau... All of this... It's my fault... It's my fault that Lillie and Cosmog were taken! I should've kept a closer eye on all of you. If I did, then..." 

Hau was shocked at what Luma was saying. Knowing he too was at fault, he wanted to say something. Something that could comfort everyone... But before he could say anything, the door had slammed open as Gladion ran inside, overhearing their conversation. 

"Did I hear right? It was Lillie who took Cosmog?!"

"G-Gladion?"

"Geh?! You know who Lillie is?!" Hau shouted in confusion.

Gladion turned away from the two trainers and placed his hand on his forehead and gritted his teeth. Luma looking back down at the desk and clicked her tongue. Gladion, on the other hand, had gritted his teeth from anger and thought out loud to himself; albeit silently. 

"I Still Couldn't protect them...? Then what was the point of me even leaving home in the first place? I can't stand this... This useless feeling..."

Luma stood in silence, she reached her hand towards the boy but halted as he turned his head toward Luma, making eye contact with his ferocious stare. She gasped and backed away from him as he turned toward her and Hau. 

"You are all so useless and weak! Because of you, Cosmog is... Lillie is... Argh!" He shouted as he took out his first Pokeball from his red pouch. It looked as though he was trying to hold back, but continued with the battle that should never be. 

"G-Gladion?" Luma asked as she stopped backing away. 

"I'll show you how angry you make me! By blowing this feeling away with everything I got! Attack her Golbat!"

He threw his Pokeball and out came his Golbat, heading straight towards Luma. But she acted quickly and brought out her trusty Vikavolt. Quickly turning to everyone behind her.

"Acerola! Get everyone out of here. NOW!" She shouted and everyone complied, running to a nearby room.

"Why don't we just talk this out?! It doesn't have to be like this!"

"Poison Fang!"

"....!"

Golbat flew straight to Vikavolt and attacked it successfully, leaving Luma speechless.

"What's the matter with you? Aren't you going to counter-attack?!"

Luma stayed speechless, but Vikavolt did attack with Zap Cannon, but missed terribly, nearly hitting Gladion, but allowing him to dodge.

"Now's not the time! We need to-"

"Acrobatics!" He interrupted, but Vikavolt dodged quickly and attacked with Wild Charge, knocking down the Golbat instantly, but also causing Vikavolt to faint from the recoil.

"... R-Return! Go Trevenant!" Bringing out her second Pokémon, Trevenant was ready to take down the incoming Sneasel.

"Feint Attack! Now!" Sneasel complied and nearly sent Trevenant back to its ball because of Luma being rattled from all that had just occurred. But Trevenant still held on, only to be called back by her trainer and Arcanine taking its place.

"Hear me out! This isn't going to change things! We're just wasting time!"

"Arceus, do you ever stop talking!?" Gladion scorned as Luma's eyes widened, but shook it off and seemed annoyed by his actions.

"Fine... Arcanine, use Reversal..." Arcanine complied and pounced on the Sneasel, gaining a critical. But it wasn't enough to make it faint.

"Icy wind!"

"Quick! Counter!"

It did slight damage to Arcanine, but it only counters attacked with a flame burst, causing the Sneasel to faint and be returned. Gladion was classified to be seen vexed by his failures and sent out Type: Null, and Luma switching to Primarina.

"Damn it! Why can't I defeat you?!"

She just stood speechlessly and examined the way he was acting right now. Gladion wasn't only angry because of Cosmog, he was angry at her for the way she got into his head. Everything that she did was annoying him. and every word she spoke, he tried to act like he was hearing a Meowth clawing on a chalkboard.

But Luma was more concerned about Lillie rather than what was going on in front of her. She wanted to end this quickly, but she also wanted to know how Gladion knew about Lillie and Cosmog... was there a specific reason as to how he knows about her? Does Lillie know him? Either way, she needed to end this.

In the other room, Acerola and the kids were listening in on the battle, but Hau, on the other hand, sulked in the other side of the room and rubbed the back of his head, feeling the painful bump that was forcefully placed on his head. The thoughts of what more he could've done if he hadn't been captured by Team Skull and what more he could've done to protect everyone. Before blacking out a second time, we witnessed helplessly as Lillie was forcefully taken by the grunts along with Nebby. Acerola thought back on the details as she held the kids close to her, who was shaking like leaves among the wind. As for the Oranguru, it seemed to have recovered thanks to Acerola and her healing it. It kept guard until the battle was over. 

As for Luma and Gladion Type: Null and Primarina fought valiantly for the pride of their trainers. There was nothing but the focus of two trainers duking it out in their battle. But it didn't feel like all the other battles... it was strenuous. It was full of rage and annoyance...

'this isn't right... this isn't like all the other battles I had with all the other trainers... the battles I had with him before were filled with more heart... nothing like this,' Luma thought.

Gladion was blinded by his rage. The way he was now, he was going to get himself and his Pokémon hurt. She knew this and took many things into consideration.

This battle wasn't going anywhere...  
It wasn't going to fix anything...  
Lillie and Cosmog won't come back if Gladion beat her...  
This was all just a waste of time. 

Luma took a deep breath and looked at Prim with determined eyes. Prim looked back at his trainer and turned back towards Null, who was awaiting its next command. 

"I have a plan Prim. But you'll have to follow my lead and keep your cool..." 

Prim nodded assuredly as he faced back towards Type: Null and awaited further instruction. He was set up for the usual chain attack of the Sparkling Aria but needed to wait for a certain signal Luma had. 

"Now Null! Finish off her Primarina with X-Scissor!"

Type: Null ran towards Prim and pounced at the Soloist Pokémon, who had just activated Sparkling Aria, but only for the attack to be delayed and Luma to run in front of her Primarina with her trilby hat tipped just above her face, covering the expression in her eyes.

"I have to get my point across! And if this is the only way to get him to pay attention, then so be it!" 

 

Gladion's POV

A set of footsteps were rapidly afoot as Null's attack was put into motion. I was close... Close to my victory against her... It's as I thought in the beginning; she was just an ordinary trainer. One who was undergoing the Island Challenges like everyone else. There was nothing special about her, and this was the proof... This was- 

"Stop this right now, Gladion!" 

I heard her shout and saw that she was in front of her Pokémon; her arms spread out and her gaze affixed in front of me... I felt my mind go numb and my eyes widen. The lengths she was willing to go... Unlike another person I know... It angered me... It enraged me even that she could do something like this! But... Why was I so angry? Even so... I needed Null to stop its attack!

"Null! Stop your attack! NOW!"

Null was able to halt its' assault... for the most part. But he was still able to strike her the way the hat perched on her head split into two and a single stream of blood had seeped across her face. Even with this predicament, she stood still, keeping her arms spread apart until finally placing them at her sides. The way she's looking at me... The way her face was twisted... I hated it... I loathed it... But even so, there was a mysterious beauty about it... One that angered me still... 

"Are you that stupid?! Didn't you know we could've killed you?!" I shouted at her, but she slowly approached me. The clicking of her shoes echoing in my ears... The way she maintained her stare... 

"Hey! Are you listening to me?! " I shouted at the top of my lungs. But nothing... She was silent... She was inching closer and closer to me. But even so... She thinks she can walk over here as if she already won? I just wanted her to stop. To stop what she's doing and disappear!

"You'll never understand even if I told you what was going on! So tell me, why should I waste my breath in explaining this to you?!" 

She still says nothing... But now, she's at arms reach. Is she ignoring me on purpose? 

"Must hate how it feels, huh? Are you willing to listen now?"

Her tone was stern... and the way she stood was like a soldier. When she raised her head, I expected to see her usual soft set of eyes, but instead was greeted by a frigid stare. Those pale blue eyes were always seemingly bright, like the pigment of the clouds blending in with the sky... but at this instance, they were cold as the top of Mount Lanakila or Frost Cavern back in the Kalos Region.

"Do you think that this will change anything of what happened several hours ago? Beating me in this battle?"

"You-"

"Do you think beating me will bring Lillie back? Or Cosmog for that matter?"

Her voice was gradually getting louder every question she asked. Interrupting me every time... causing me to grit my teeth.

"You can't just act like you understand what I'm-"

"You're right! I don't! I don't know anything about you!"

I look down at her hands, which were clenched tightly and were trembling as if she was giving into the winter winds she created with her eyes. But her eyes still held such a serious expression, which kept pulling me in and silenced my mouth. The way she shouted at me. It was loud, but she made a good point; she knew nothing. So she's trying to know more by asking questions. She really is smart... If it weren't for the circumstances.

"But listen..."

She paused herself and took a deep breath and suddenly started yelling.

"This is all just a waste of time... Beating me isn't going to change what happened, no matter what you do! The only thing we can do is if we work together and save Lillie and Cosmog!"

The only thing I could do was stare at her. She seems to have a rebuttal for everything that I may say...

"I know it is..."

"Then why keep this up?"

"Because... I'm furious... At myself... For feeling so useless... That the only way to rid of this is..."

I couldn't finish my sentence... She knew just what happened... She's not that stupid... In fact... quite the opposite. 

"Then why not take your anger out on the people who took them away instead? Try to make use of your anger if you feel so angry... Just not to those who mean to help you..." 

 

Luma's POV

His eyes are wide... please... tell me...  
Did I finally reach you? If not... then!

"This ends now..." I said in a quiet tone... straying away from my yelling. I pointed upwards and uttered towards Prim.

"Now Prim... Sparkling Aria..."

The water bubbles of light burst from the air and bursted around Null's vicinity, causing it to faint. At the same time, I grabbed Gladion by the collar of his tattered hoodie and-

"Now snap OUT OF IT!"

I hit him on the head with my own... very hard I may add, causing the two of us to grunt in pain. As soon as the battle was over, Hau and everyone walked back into the room seeing the two of us holding our heads in pain.

Please... tell me... did I reach him?

"Tch! How annoying..." he grunted under his breath.

I didn't know what hurt worse, the cut on my head, or that headbutt... 

"Wh-wh-what kind of battle were you two having?!" Acerola shouted.

"M-Miss Luma!" The two kids who were beside Hau whined as well, looking at me while I tried to compose myself. I nodded towards them and gave a thumbs up with a goofy grin.

After the battle, Gladion and I returned Null and Prim to their Pokeballs and waited for Gladion to compose himself. After some seemingly careful thought, however, he finally acknowledged us.

"I'll admit... that was wrong of me. I shouldn't have dragged you into a meaningless battle like that..."

He paused and faced toward me with his usual scowl. 

"But I told the both of you! I told you that Cosmog would bring disaster to all of Alola!" He exclaimed with frustration and looked down at the floor, clenching his fists.

"But just what kind of disaster are we talking about?"

"I'll explain in due time, but for now I have to get it back from them!" He looked up at me, desperation in his eyes.

"Alright... I'm coming with you."

He stuttered, trying to come up with a reason to leave me behind. But I quickly stomped my way towards him and lifted my pointer finger upright, putting it between us.

"And I'm not taking no for an answer! So where are we going?"

He looked at me with a softer look in his eyes and reluctantly sighed.

"We'll leave at the ferry terminal... whether you like it or not, there's no turning back, so the only question is, are you ready to come now or not?"

I put my hands on my hips and gave him a smirk.

"What do you think?"

He relaxes and puts at least one of his hands and stood up straight, staring me down and giving me a small nod, and in return, I gave him a toothy grin and a small chuckle.

"Good... then let's go."

I looked at Hau and saw that he wanted to say something. I stopped and turned to Hau. Gladion looked at me confused and stopped before getting to the door.

"Second thought Gladion, I'll catch up."

I walk towards Hau and looked at him with concern.

"Luma... what should I do? Even if I go to the ferry terminal, too... what if I just get in your guys' way?" He looked down as I listened to his troubles.

"What if... I really am just this weak?"

"Hau..."

I put my hand on Hau's shoulder. He tensed up and looked at me. I gave him a smile. But it was getting difficult to do so.

"We'll wait for you there. So when you're done sulking, meet us there."

I turned and walked towards the exit, seeing that Gladion was already ahead of me.

"Don't be late, okay?" I said and ran towards the terminal. But as I got out the door, I forgot about the blood that dried up on my face. So I quickly pulled a small hankerchief from my bag and wiped the blood out of my face. After I did however... I felt lightheaded. Almost like I was gonna fall... Maybe I'm getting a bit anemic? Or did I stay up for an entire day? Who knows... But I feel... A little freaked out...


	17. The Road to The Enemy Stronghold

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hiya folks. So sorry for not posting anything last weekend, I had to pet sit. But to mention rehearsals for the opera group I'm in have been kicking my butt since the show starts next week from today. But one is better than none, yeah? So I hope you enjoy! And please, stay tuned for any further updates.

Luma's POV 

First, it was my flower beanie. And now my trilby... What's next? Is my outfit gonna be torn to shreds thanks to an enemy attack? Good grief... Oh well. No use in worrying about my outfit right now. I gotta go meet Gladion so we can get to our next destination. But where that'll be I have no idea... But sooner or later, things are not gonna be easy from here on out... Even as I was walking down to the terminal where I saw Gladion waiting for me, I felt a little weak on my legs. I even noticed the bit of pain in my head with each step. Even so, I'm sure Lillie was going through far worse than an aching head and sore feet. 

"Gladion!" I shouted as I headed down the steps reaching my destination. He turned his head and greeted me with a harsh hum. Well, good seeing you too after leaving a scratch on MY head after destroying MY hat. I should be the one humming harshly... But I don't wanna. But I can't deny it's better to have you on our side now. 

"So, we're waiting for Hau?" 

"He'll come. I know he will. Hau's not the one to abandon his friends." as much as I want to save Lillie, we'll need all the manpower we can get for this mission. Who knows where she'll be anyway.

"Yeah, I guess so... He's a pretty interesting kid. I'll give you that." 

He looked down at the ground and seemed to be lost in thought the way he spoke to himself.

"Growing up in the great kahuna's shadow and still trying to stand up to Hala as an equal? Not just that, but trying to become stronger that Hala, too? I couldn't do it."

I walked closer and placed my finger on the center of his chest. Flashing a smile, I proceeded. 

"Strength doesn't come from knowledge or power alone, you know? It also comes from the strength of one's heart. And a bit of wit along with it." I swung my finger up and hit the bottom of his nose, causing him to look at me with confusion.

Gladion's POV

"W-why did you do that for?"

I couldn't help but blush at her actions. She really is a strange one. She chuckled and pointed up at the sky.

"You shouldn't be looking down so much, your necks gonna be like a bendy straw," she smirked and placed her other hand on her waist. She chuckled again and allowed her arm to relax. But that all changed when we heard another set of footsteps.  
But they weren't Hau's

"Officer Nanu?" I questioned.

"Hey, what are you doing here?" Took the words right out of my mouth.

We heard him mumble something under his breath, but neither of us could hear him. It was like he didn't want us to hear what he had to say. Until he faced Luma.

"You there, girl."

She looks around and turns her head back to Nanu. confused, she pointed to herself and mouthed something. It was kind of like she was saying "are you talking to me?" Sounds like a response she would have.

"Unless Blondie here's got something to hide, then yes I'm talking to you. I'm an island Kahuna, you know. Battle against me."

I facepalmed softly at his remark, looking away at the two.

"It'll be a good experience for you if you're really hoping to master the Island challenge..." he added.

"We're kind of in a hurry-"

"Okay, I will," she interrupted. We didn't have time-

"We need all the power we can get, right? I just hope it won't take too long." 

Narrator POV

"Don't make it too serious now..." 

"No guarantees, officer. I have a friend I need to save. I prefer to get this over with as soon as possible. Don't mean to sound cocky or anything, but it's the truth..." 

Nanu nods in turn and tossed a Pokeball containing Sableeye as knew to send out Prim at once and unleash a newly learned Moonblast against it, knocking it out immediately before it could attack. Nanu then switched to a Krokorock only to be beaten after by Ninetail's Aurora Beam, yet was able to do a tiny bit of damage as Persian was able to initiate Fake Out toward Prim, who bought it almost right away. However, as Luma said, the battle proved to be quite swift as she was able to finish Persian just as quickly thanks to both fairy types Prim and Kyu. Nanu was almost impressed with her effort, especially because he took what he said earlier for granted. 

"Hmph," yet despite his efforts, he still accepted his loss with dignity. Even Gladion, who seemed a little skeptical of the battle, was taken aback by how swiftly the battle ended. 

"Well, shoot... Of course, I already knew you had the heart and the strength to form Team Skull's stronghold, but I didn't know you were this good," Nanu praised with a small chuckle escaping from his lips. This was all true. After all, he was the one to help Luma in getting into Po Town in the first place. Which she acknowledged shortly after his remark. 

"Trust me, if it weren't for you, I don't think I would've even got in. Besides, I owe it to my friends. And my Pokemon for taking me this far." 

"No need to make this cheesy now... They worked real hard for you. Let me fix your team up for you. While I'm at it..." 

As Nanu dug through his pockets of Potions and Elixirs, he also pulled out a Z Crystal and tossed it toward Luma, who caught it in alarm, sighing in relief as she grasped it in her hand. 

"It's a Darkinium- Z... if you want to use the Dark- Type Z- Power, you've gotta do it like this..."

Nanu demonstrated the movement of the Dark-type Z- Move by placing the usual movements before the current Z-Move and crept up with his arms stopping midair and having a very strange pose.

Luma was smiling with her eyes wide trying so hard not to laugh, while Gladion internally screamed as he dropped his jaw. The two were dumbfounded. But what nearly got the two youths was his blank expression.

"There. Congrats or whatever... you've officially finished your Ula'ula trials... you've got somewhere else to be, don't you? Try not to destroy the whole place..."

He walked away from the two and turned his head towards the boy beside Luma.

"Oh... and you, boy... Gladion. Tell me... if you're really trying to get stronger as you say, then what're you depending on Team Skull for?"

Gladion clenched his teeth softly, since what he just said reminded him of Luma's words the first day they met. Luma just looked at the two of them, her eyes going back and forth with confusion. But soon the man left, leaving the two on their own.

"Okay..." Luma stuttered and sat at the edge of the bay. Rotom rang and escaped from her bag, having a message from Hau on its screen.

"Kzzzrt! Luma! You got a call coming in! It's from Hau! Want to answer it? Kzzrt!"

Luma nodded and answered the call right away. 

"Hau! Where are you? Oh, I hope Lillie's kidnapping didn't affect you in such a negative way, but you gotta stay strong! Things may be bad, but we can change things if we save our friends!" 

Hau seemed taken back by her sudden outburst, but he didn't seem phased at all. As a matter a fact, he chuckled a bit at her words. 

"Woah woah woah! Relax, Luma. I'm on my way right now. Also, if I didn't come, you'd probably try to talk me into going anyway. Besides, Lillie won't be saved unless we all make an effort, yeah? I'll see you soon! Just don't leave me behind!"

"Will do. I'll see you soon," Luma nodded and poked Rotom's screen, ending the call and having Rotom return to her bag.

"Don't you wanna sit down?" Luma looked up at Gladion, patting the spot next to her. He agreed and sat beside the girl. The two watching the endless sea and sky spreading across the planet. Gladion faced the girl, who was staring at the sea, enjoying the view of the orange sunset and the blue waves crashing along their feet. There was an awkward silence between the two, nothing but the waves crashing along the terminal docks and the cooing of Bird Pokémon flying across the land.

Luma turned her eyes towards the direction of the stare and questionably hummed. Although Gladion quickly turned away from her and faced towards the other direction.

"Something wrong?"

"It's nothing," he said, shaking his head and looking towards the sea.

"Hmm..." she blinked and leaned towards him.

"Are you sure?"

"Haven't you heard of personal space?"

"Haven't you heard of sketchy actions? Hmmmm??" She created a rebuttal, causing the boy in front of her to lean away. But giggled and sat back up, covering her mouth with the laughter.

"I'm only kidding. Jeez, if I hadn't known you any better, I would've thought you didn't get out much." She said, still chuckling,

"And if I hadn't known you better, I would've figured you to be quite the mad woman." Gladion scoffed.

"hehe. *sighs*" she kicked her feet up slowly and a bit impatiently.

They were waiting for Hau after all.

"You're worried about Lillie, aren't you?" Out of the blue, Gladion had asked her. This caused Luma to jolt up and gave him her undivided attention. But held her left forearm, trying to keep it from shaking. But nodded in silence.

"I mean, why wouldn't I be? Lillie's my friend, and I regret going to Po Town without taking her and Nebby in consideration..."

Luma's POV

"I regret not figuring it out sooner. That Lillie was being chased. That Team Skull knew that Lillie would have Nebby and that she..."

I felt Gladion's hand pat my head. Seemed like he wanted me to calm down. Okay, I'll try not to worry so much... but it's hard not too... but I didn't feel just one hand.

'Wait...'

I felt something wrap around my head. It was like string... no, it felt more like silk... or satin. After he put his hands down, I felt what he put on my head. It was a black ribbon tied in a bow.

"There..."

"Is this for me?"

He kept his eyes on me and nodded.

"I... felt responsible for what happened to your hat during our last battle."

"Oh uhh..."

I just looked at the scenery with my face as red as a Cheri Berry and broke eye contact with Gladion after his remark.

"O-okay, thanks a lot! Th-that's sweet of you."

"What? Don't like it? If not then I'll take it back." 

Looking at the reflection, I saw the ribbon swaying in the wind. It actually looked really nice. Not to mention, the way it was tied.

"No... I like it. This is perfect. It gets the hair out of my face. I was considering getting one of these... Besides, that hat wasn't the first one I lost here." 

He stood up from the ground and placed his hands in his pockets, looking away from me. I could barely tell from the angle he was looking away from, but it looked like... his face was red? Oh I hope I didn't make things awkward After a short while, I got up and stretched my arms, allowing the wind to blow against my hair. We finally heard some shouting from the distance and looked behind us to see Hau running towards the docks to meet us.

"Luma!" Hau shouted I felt a smile creeping from my face as my best friend.

"Don't you dare say a word about this being fun," Gladion said, facing the Alolan boy. But he shook his head, surprising us a bit.

"I won't... if I'd be stronger, then Lillie wouldn't have..." he paused and clenched his hands into fists. But quickly picked up his head and looked up at the two of us and placed his hands behind his head.

"I'm ready to do whatever it takes to take back our smiles and our fun adventure!"

I nodded and agreed with his statement.

"Glad to have you join us, Hau," I encouraged him, I was glad he was acting like his old self. Even if it's painful.

"Gladion, where was Lillie taken? Couldn't be Po Town. Luma was there the whole time."

"He brings up a good point, is there any other place Team Skull would be?" I questioned and saw that Gladion was nodding. What he told us was, however, truly unexpected...

"Hmph, you're not as dumb as you are naive... where we're going is Aether Paradise."

I felt my shoulders grow heavy and my chest tighten.

"But... why Aether?"

"You'll know when we get there... let's go."

We made our way to a black boat with white accents and the Team Skull emblem on it, going out to sea to the man-made Island.

\---------------------------------------------


	18. Aether Siege

Narrator POV

After getting off the Team Skull speedboat, they had made it to Aether; back to the once known blank sanctuary they once visited before. Both Luma and Hau had no idea what to expect coming from somewhere so seemingly tranquil, but Gladion seemed not so thrilled being here. 

"Aether Paradise's Harbor... We made it this far without running into trouble. But I don't like how quiet it is. You two... Stay alert," Gladion assured as he kept a Pokeball in hand from his bag. It only made the two other trainers confused at his actions and why he seemed so skeptical of a place such as Aether. But on the other hand, if Lillie was held captive here, it would make sense as to how something so quiet could create an air of uncertainty. 

"But... Why would Lillie be here at Aether Paradise?" Hau asked in a confused manner. He had a right to be. Ultra Beast aside, the last time they left to Aether was when they were given a tour by Faba. 

"She just will be," Gladion mildly shouted in a harsh manner, not even turning his head toward Hau, and only toward the path in front of them, causing Hau to groan in annoyance by the enforcer's actions. Luma on the other hand just made sure she had all her items in order, along with her Pokemon before looking up to the path in front of her. Wondering if Lillie was okay. Why Aether in particular? What plans does Aether have for her? 

"Argh! This guy... Fine. So what are going to do... Luma?" 

"Huh?"

"You doing okay, buddy? You look a little pale there," Hau asked with concern as he snapped Luma out of her daze. She nodded and looked at Gladion. 

"Should we look for her ourselves? Asking around would be pretty dumb considering were in the enemy stronghold." 

Placing his hand on his chin, Gladion wondered to himself, "I guess... We take the elevator." Yet the two trainers were still able to hear him. 

"You guess?!" Hau shouted as he harshly whispered in Luma's ear, "And we're following this guy?! He doesn't have a plan!" 

"Do you have a plan, Hau?" Luma asked in a whisper. 

"No. Do you?" 

"No, I don't. But for now, until one of us does have a plan, we need to stick together." 

Hau reluctantly nodded as Luma looked from the corner of her eye to see a set of Aether Employees pacing back and forth along a railing. Running toward the nearest wall, and getting out a Pokeball. 

"Let's go." 

"What are you-" Hau tried to ask, only to be interrupted. 

"None of you guys have any plans, right? So we might as well improvise. C'mon hurry!" 

The trio of trainers made their way silently towards the triangular elevator before them, leaving many Aether employees defeated at their wake. Hau and Luma were guarding Gladion, who was trying to control the elevator to their next destination, but he failed to do so when he realized specific identification and controls were needed to access the lower floors.

"Look like outsiders can't use the main elevator to reach the lower levels. I was afraid this might happen... what a pain..." Gladion mentioned.

"What do we do now?" Luma said with worry, the blonde turning toward the two 11-year-olds.

"We have no choice. Well, have to go up."

Hau looked at him and looked to see the railings of the elevator rising and taking them to the next floor, where they were greeted by the Branch Chief.

"I, Faba, am the Aether Branch Chief... the only one in the world, I'm irreplaceable... and here you come back... uninvited"

The man turned towards them and raised his hand to his chin with a distasteful facial expression.

"Like you don't know why, you of all people should know everything that happens in the Aether Foundation," Gladion scorned, glaring at the man and placing one of his hand on his hips.

"Isn't that right, high and mighty branch chief?"

"Hee hee hee! Look at you... living out in the world hasn't been kind, has it? But I'm still not telling you anything! And you of all people should understand why... Gladion..."

The boy closed his eyes and tilted his head toward the girl standing beside him.

"Hey, Luma..."

"What is it?"

"You know why being a trainer is so great? Because when you're battling, it doesn't matter if you're a kid or an adult..."

Gladion walked closer to her and placed his hand on her shoulder, revealing the familiar green in his eyes towards Faba, looking daggers at the egotistical chief and leaving the girl in a daze.

"Because everyone's equals in a Pokémon battle!"

Faba scoffed and stared down at the three trainers standing near him.

"Is that right? Is that what you think?"

Luma walked towards the man, Pokeball in hand and harshly humming.

"So you wish to battle me? Branch Chief Faba? The man who is called Aether Foundation's last line of defense? Battle a mere child?!"

"If you're the last line of defense... then Aether really has lowered its standards last time we came here," she said in a kidding manner.

Hau laughed out loud while Gladion couldn't help but turn away and chuckle to himself.

"Humph! As you will! Come forth Hypno!"

A yellow figure stood in front of the girl, while Luma brought out her Primarina.

"Haha! A mere child defeat me? Good luck with that little miss... I will make you eat your words... as the Branch Chief of Aether-!"

"Moonblast! Full Power," she interrupted and a beam of light from the girl had appeared, KOing the Hypno in one shot.

"Aiyee!!" Faba shouted.

Prim stood tall and returned to his ball at his trainer's command. Leaving Faba shaking his head and giving denial.

"H-How can this be?! How could this child..."

"I stand by what I said..." she paused while returning her Pokeball in her bag and chuckled to herself.

"Aue, look at you, Luma! You took him down like he was nothing!" Hau shouted and cheered for the girl.

As for Gladion, he couldn't help but feel a sense of pride when Faba's Hypno was blasted down to the floor. But soon had to keep his attention back toward the Branch Chief.

"So..." Gladion intervened with the optimism and scowled at Faba.

"As I said, Faba. You of all people know what I'm here for..."

Faba agreed and gave commands to the elevator to head to the lower floors. But not before "pitying" Gladion.

"The world truly hasn't been kind to you, has it? Look how hard it has made you..."

He paused and continued on.

"I suppose if you're looking for Cosmog, it might be downstairs..."

"Downstairs? Oh yeah! Ms. Wicke did say there was another level farther down, didn't she..." Hau snapped his fingers and Luma nodded in return.

"But what do you do down there?!" He continued.

"Well... if you must know... There are experiments held down there... Experiments to reach a world different from Alola. Experiments aiming to tear the very boundaries of the world apart. That's what I've been told, yes."

Luma felt her eyes stare off at his remark and her right arm slowly locking with her left wrist. The bit of pain in her head came back. But only for that instant. After that, she simply perked up by Gladion's swift response.

"Were in a bit of a hurry, Faba. We'll be going..."

Faba scoffed and responded as he entered access to the elevator, "Why not? This is an act of kindness I can do for you thanks to my position as branch chief."

Gladion looked at Luma and Hau and looked at the control pad.

"Luma. Hau. If you're ready, let's head down..."

The two nodded as the elevator descended to the lowest floor in the vicinity.

However, Luma looked down and uttered the final words Faba said before they descended.

"Aiming to tear the very boundaries of the world apart, huh..." Luma uttered as she gripped her bag strap and looked  
at the moving walls.

"Are you ready?" Luma turned and saw that Gladion was looking at her with a determined gaze. She returned the gaze with a nod as they descended deeper into the facility. Only as they did, Luma felt a great pain in her head. As the pain persisted, certain visions had started to appear in Luma's head before blanking out to white. Stumbling, she placed one hand at a time on her head, wincing from the pain; nearly falling over. 

"Nng! Ahh..." 

"Luma!" 

"Hey, you okay?" Gladion asked as Luma just shook off the pain and stood back up removing her hand from her head. She simply smiled, but her face kept a sense of pain behind them. 

"Hehe, I'm fine... If I knew any better, I must've not gotten much sleep. Nothing to worry about, honest." Luma assured as she held a somewhat shaky thumb up in the air. But the way Hau smiled as Gladion and Luma kept eye contact with one another seemed a bit... wanting.

"You two seemed to have gotten closer from your last battle, huh?" Hau couldn't help to mention seeing how the two were interacting with one another.

"Yeah? What of it?" Luma placed her hands on her hips and faced Hau with a questionable look on her face. Only to have Hau to turned away from the two with his hands behind the back of his neck and chuckling.

"I ship it"

With that, the two looked away from one another and Luma faced Hau with a flustered look on her face, but not before she and Gladion got a quick glance at one another.

"Y-You gotta be kidding," Luma shouted with her arms clenched into fists and her face dyed in a light blush of red.

"This isn't the time to be joking around..." Gladion agreed, doing his signature pose and covering his face from the same light blush that Luma had. But now wasn't the time to kid around as Gladion said, the time had come nigh as the elevator made it to the ground.

"Everything looks the same. I guess it's only been two years, though..."

Luma looked around in silence at the corridor and couldn't help but let out a soft exhale.

Hau ran out of the triangle with a loud chuckle and looked around the current room they were in.

"Wow! It's like a secret hideout!"

"Don't get too excited, Hau... though I guess it's better than freezing from fear or nerves..."

Luma's POV

I couldn't help but look at Gladion when he made that remark... I thought I was seeing things because of mild hysteria from being here, but it looked like he was smiling... it was small... But it somehow made something in me flutter... 

"Haha! Cmon! Let's go! Where do we go now?" Hau shouted at the two of us as we stepped out of the elevator.

"There are two labs up ahead. I'll check the first lab, Secret Lab A, while you two check out Secret Lab B. It's the second lab, down the hall," Gladion pointed out at the door and explained.

"Why do you get the first one? And why do you know all this?"

I wonder, too.., how did he know this. We didn't even get the chance to look around.

"Just focus, Hau. Think you can do that? We can't trust Faba. I'm sure he's already told half the foundation all about us..."

Are you... hiding something from us, Gladion? It's kind of suspicious to just put off his question like that...

"You didn't even answer my question... I know what it's gotta be. Nerves, eh? I reckon that you're more afraid to be here than either one of us, huh, Gladion?" Hau suspected.

"We should get going then. We wouldn't want to be sitting psyducks if those Aether Employees find us," I presumed.

"Yeah, Lillie must be scared right now... let's buckle down and do this!"

We all agreed and advanced beyond the door. There, we were greeted by three researchers.

"Intruders spotted! We'll protect our secret labs!" They recited in unison as they summoned their Pokémon. Out came a Muk, a Magneton, and a Porygon2.

"How about we guess what you're looking for... Cosmog right? If you want to know what kinds of experiments we did with it, then you'll have to beat us!" 

"Hmph... with pleasure!" Gladion pulled out his Pokeball containing Sneasel and brought him out,

"Alright! Let's go!" Hau jumped up and brought out his Alolan Raichu, which cheerfully balanced on its tail.

I tossed out my Pokeball that contained my Alolan Ninetails, Kyu. We all readied ourselves for battle.

"Okay, let's go!"

The two boys looked at me with a nod and we readied our attacks, while their Pokémon charged hastily at ours.

"Now, Kyu! Dazzling Gleam!"

"Discharge Raichu!"

"Sneasel! Icy wind!"

The three Pokémon complied and unleashed their attacks with discharge stunning the enemy, icy wind keeping them in place and dazzling Gleam finishing them off. The three researchers, who were quickly defeated, returned their Pokémon and quickly evacuated from their loss. But not without informing us the fact that Cosmog is the key to open the Ultra Wormhole.

The three of us quickly returned our Pokémon and headed towards the set of labs laid before us.

Gladion seemed to be a bit protective of me or Hau entering with him. I was curious so I let Hau go on ahead and looked at Gladion.

"Don't even think about getting in here..."

"I-I wasn't, I was thinking why you didn't want me or Hau with you, that's all!"

He shook his head and looked down at me with a soft look in his eyes. It reminded me of when I grabbed his hand back in Akala.

"Me and Null... we're more alike than we might look. We're both what we were made to be... I was an ornament to my mother. Wearing whatever she told me to wear, acting however she wanted me to act..."

His mother... she tried making him her puppet... no, it seemed more like she wanted him as her personal doll. A decoration... I couldn't help but feel sorry for him. The world never paid mind to him, and Team Skull took him for granted. He suffered, too...

Huh? Oh... Right... What was I? I thought I... Recalled something.

"Null was crafted just as carefully. It was made just to battle the beasts. In this room... right here..."

His voice trailed off and his hands seemed to tremble. I walked closer to him and grabbed his hands.

"You're trembling... guess you really were scared to be here, huh? I heard if you hold someone's hand, they calm down a bit. Or they get more nervous than they already are. But worth a shot, right?"

Gladion's POV

"Hmph. I'm not the only one who's scared. You seemed on edge since we got here."

"D-Did I? Huh... What do you know..."

She tightened her grip on my hands and stared down at her feet. This wasn't the first time those two were here that's for sure. I wasn't so sure at first, but now I know...

"What happened? The first time you came here, I mean."

She was silent. Her facial expression changed from calm to troubled in a matter of seconds. She let go of my hands and allowed her arms to drop at her sides. She took a deep breath and told me everything that occurred when she and Hau arrived at Aether the first time. Meeting Wicke, the Ultra Wormhole and her battle with the Ultra Beast, and her bracelet glowing as it was about to attack her. She didn't remember much of what happened, but the next thing she knew was that the Ultra Beast was gone and Hau softening her fall.

I saw that Luma was grabbing the strap of her bag and turned away from me.

"W-well I should check out Lab B now. Hau's waiting for me. Never know what might happen if I leave him alone."

Luma walked off and continued to Secret Lab B, where there may be more Aether Employees waiting for her and Hau. Looking at my hand, I felt the warmth from Luma radiating from it and waited for those two to come back. I did hear the sounds of a battle occurring in the lab but quickly turned silent and two more Aether employees were seen running from the lab and headed out the door. After a little more time...

"Gladion!"

The two shouted my name and signaled me to come to where they are.

"Did you find anything?"

"We learned a bit about Cosmog! Like, it may be an Ultra Beast or whatever... and if you stress it a lot, it can create Ultra Wormholes! Maybe to run away or something?"

"If you stress it..."

"What does it mean by that? Stress it how?" She asked in confusion and placed her hand on her chin.

"It means if you hurt it..." 

Narrator POV

Hau and Luma's eyes felt wide and their chests heavy, while Gladion placed his hand on his chin and quietly thought through the information provided.

"Was that why she ran away with it? She always was too nice..."

"But we didn't find any sign of it down here," Hau blatantly pointed out with a sigh.

"So no luck on finding either one of them down here..." Luma looked down and groaned silently.

"Yeah... Faba probably knew this would be a dead end. Damn... did he outsmart us?" Gladion realized and ran toward the door, isolating Luma and Hau to question his actions.

"Gladion never really explains anything, eh? Probably thinks it makes him cool... well! We made it here together, so let's see through the end together!" Hau followed suit and ran toward the door leaving the girl to ponder, but quickly pursuing them.

"Hey! We should stick together!" 

But before Luma could go, something about the information within Secret Lab A brought a glimmer of curiosity to her mind. So instead of going to her allies, she decided to quickly look through Secret Lab A, and discover a set of files lying around. Within the notes were the history and creation of Type: Null. There were three like the one Gladion had, and all were designated to defeat the Ultra Beasts. "...Models have been fitted with control masks to mitigate the effects of their rejection of the RKS System. Due to the implementation of these control masks, our RKS System initialization tests have failed." She paused as her eyes laid on the final few parts of the last report. "All three models of Type: Full are to be cryogenically frozen for the rest of... Eternity? But that's not... *Ahem* The name of these models... Has been changed from Type: Full to Type: Null... " As she kept reading through the files, the pain suddenly returned. The room felt as though it was spinning, but at the same time, Luma felt fine. Instead of allowing this dizzy feeling to take over; a voice echoing from the back of her head. She could barely hear what it was or who was talking. So she used her hands and clapped them together, her head between the claps taking the hits. After doing so, she returned to her senses and walked out of the secret lab; the thoughts of the aches lingering in her mind as she silently made her way to the elevator.


	19. Battle After Battle

Narrator POV

Luma had gotten to the first floor leading to the entrance of Aether. She looked around for a bit and heard footsteps approaching.

"Luma!" 

"...!" 

Luma had pulled a Pokeball from her bag as soon as she heard someone shout her name; she seemed jumpy yet ready to battle. 

"It's only us. No need to get so nervous..." Gladion responded as Hau jumped back in shock with Luma's sudden reaction. She sighed under her breath and nodded toward the two and placed the Pokeball she had in her hand back in her bag.

"So, did you guys find out anything about Cosmog or Lillie?" She asked in a dubious tone.

"Hmph... Even beaten down, old Faba doesn't change, does he?" Gladion shrugged and Hau shook his head.

"What do we do?"

"Beat whoever stands in our way. What other choice do we have?"

"Leave no witnesses. Gotcha," Luma concurred and faced Hau wondering what his opinion was.

"Fine, fine. We can do that. But do you have to say "hmph" all the time?" He responded to Gladion with some sass in his tone, leaving the girl between them to shrug in confusion.

More footsteps come along and spot the group of three, catching them dead in their tracks, revealing themselves to be more Aether Employees sent by Faba.

"Hello, children. I'm afraid Branch Chief Faba has given us orders regarding you three..."

The three turned towards the employees with the incoming atmosphere changing from calm to tense in a matter of seconds.

"Now that you've learned of the darkness at the heart of Aether Paradise, we'll need you all to conveniently disappear!" One shouted and summoned their Pokémon, and the rest followed suit.

"Woah! There's a ton of them now!"

"Pointing out the obvious isn't going to help with anything, Hau!" Gladion scolded, quickly turning back to face the boy and then at the Employees.

"A-any ideas, Luma?" Hau stuttered and turned towards the girl.

She, however, smirks and chuckles under her teeth.

"As a matter of fact, I do! Go, Prim! Vivo! Use Bubble Beam and Zap Cannon! Hau! Gladion! Battle with me!"

Luma's Primarina and Vikavolt were summoned and immediately started attacking with Prim first unleashing a stream of bubbles and water at the incoming Mudsdale and Pelliper, and Vivo unleashing a stream of thunder, causing the surge to slip into the water and create a chain reaction of the electrified water paralyzing the enemy Pokémon around them and nearby the employees.

"Gyah! The children of Alola who aim to be champion through the island challenge! Woah! They are NOT to be underestimated!" One of them shouted trying to dodge the water.

"Alright! Now!"

"Raichu! Psychic!" Hau quickly summoned his Raichu, whom quickly used its attack on the enemy Pokémon and finishing them off. The water then clears, turning to mist from the incoming attack and leaving the employees who were not paralyzed to look at them in awe, but also in disgust.

"Ridiculous... have the children of Alola always been this strong?"

"Uhh technically, I'm from Kanto, but that'll change in like a couple years or so," Luma crossed her arms proudly and faced the employees with a glare, all while smiling at them.

"That's what you get when you go through the trials of the island challenge. Now that you understand... how about you get out of our way?" Gladion gave a dirty look at the employees before they ran off, revealing a path towards Faba and the guards beside him.

"Phew! Thanks, Luma! And you two Primarina! When you're fighting a battle you can't afford to lose, you really can't waver at all, huh... Man, If I really got my partner better, maybe I'd even be able to enjoy the kind of battle you can't afford to lose..." Luma nodded at Hau's statement while they returned their Pokémon.

"You know..." Gladion had said out of the blue, looking at the two.

"Hmm? What's up?" Luma asked, turning towards him with her hands behind her and a smile on her face. Hau seemed curious too; the way he turned with a somewhat serious expression. 

"I know we aren't friends. But I'm glad you two are here..."

He paused for a bit and turned towards Hau.

"I remember what you said at the Battle Royal Dome that day, Hau. About how people can achieve more if they do something together."

"Oh yeah?" The boy in question inquired.

"Well..."

Gladion paused and smiled at him. It surprised him a little but made him feel happy too hearing that his words got to him.

"Looks like maybe you were right."

Luma looked at the two and felt as if a weight on her shoulders had somewhat lifted. But she turned towards the sound of clicking heels, revealing Wicke.

"Young master Gladion, I'm so glad you're safe," she said cheerfully. Gladion, turning towards the cheerful sound, seemed relaxed hearing her voice. Hau, on the other hand, seemed confused at first, and then put two and two together.

"What d'you mean "young master"?!"

"It has been a long time, hee hee," Wicke giggled at his remark and flashed a smile towards them.

"And hello to you two, Luma and Hau. Please allow me to heal your Pokémon." Wicke pulled out some healing items and looked at the two with a gentle look.

"Thank you, Miss Wicke. It's good to finally see a friendly face here," Luma sighed in relief and nodded as she allowed the lady to heal her Pokémon.

"And Lillie? Do you know what happened to her?" Gladion asked, trying to stay calm.

Wicke returned a fretting look and closed her eyes, trying to compose herself.

"I... imagine that she is with the president..."

"She's with Miss Lusamine then?" Luma uttered silently, holding her hands together in concern. Wicke nodded to her in agreement, confirming Lillie's whereabouts. Gladion turned around and held his usual scowl.

"Then that's where I'm going. That's all I need to know."

"The president? That's Miss Lusamine, right? Well, Lusamine's a really nice person, so I'm sure she'll listen to us if we explain everything," Hau asked. Only for Luma to turn to Gladion and looked at him with an ambivalent mien.

"Yeah, she's nice... as long as you mean nothing to her," he responded in a sarcastic manner.

"So, do you know where Lusamine is? How can we get to her?" Questioned Luma.

"There's a door that will lead to her manor... but I'm afraid the doors that lead there have been locked..."

"Again?!" Hau shouted in a seemingly horrified tone.

"That's not stopping me," Gladion and Hau ran ahead towards the sealed door.

"Gladion, Hau! Hold up!"

"Luma, before you go..."

Luma looked towards Wicke before heading off.

"Please look after young Master Gladion, when he's worked up about something, he doesn't consider the consequences. Even going so far as stealing Pokémon... those two truly are very much alike..."

Luma nodded in assurance and turned towards the others, seeing that Faba had just arrived.

"My, my... What naughty children. You should just lay your heavy heads down..."

He started chuckling at the children in front of him, rubbing his hands together.

"But I knew that you would struggle onward, I could see through every action you would take. So I knew you would try to reach the president..."

"Gee... you caught us red-handed," Luma said in an apathetic tone.

"Haha... and that is why my dear! I knew that I would be able to ambush you here and remedy my previous failure! The only reason I let you on the lower floor was to buy time to gather more staff to stop you!" Faba presumes to laugh an evil laugh, only for Hau to shake his head.

"So, uh, Mr. Faba, do you have the key to the president's room, yeah?" He asked the funny looking man.

"Indeed! I have it right here!" Faba said in a proud manner, holding his head held high. Hau just laughed at him and couldn't stop laughing. 

"Hau, what's gotten into you?" Luma asked with a sense of plea in her voice. It was then that Gladion had managed to understand the situation and gradually started chuckling, startling the girl. 

"Gladion, not you too! Now I'm really-" Interrupting herself, she finally caught on what had just happened. She didn't laugh or anything, she simply just let out a diminishing "Oh..." It was then that Hau's words made sense; Faba was an idiot. 

"So... If- If you'd just stayed hidden, we would've been stuck here anyway, right?"

"What?!" Faba shrieked, his head pummeling down and his pride being nothing more than a lost memory.

Faba had enough of the mockery. His face turned red from rage and groaned loudly.

"Enough, you lot! Teach these children a lesson!"

"Uh oh," Luma and the others then snapped out of their fit and stood ready to battle.

"We don't have time for this. Help me out here, Luma," Gladion walked to her side and pulled out a Pokeball.

"Got it. Let's go!" Luma pulled out her own Pokeball and readied herself for battle.

"Magmar, go!"

"Take them down, Electabuzz!"

Two Aether Employees brought out their Pokémon and readied for battle.

"You did say we didn't have time!"

Luma brought out Prim once more and readied a Z- Crystal.

"water, our blood flowing throughout the world! flow freely to follow our commands and wash away our foes!"

"She's going to use a Z- Crystal! Attack her Electrobuzz!"

"Not gonna happen! Poison Fang, Golbat!" Gladion summoned Golbat and it attacks right away, protecting Primarina.

"Whew! That was close."

"Just hurry it up!"

"I got it, I got it..." 

"Magmar! Get that pesky thing outta the way!"

Magmar unleashes a Flame Burst hoping to go attack both Pokémon at once.

"Oh no, you don't!" Luma finished the dance to us the Z-Move, unleashing a blue aura from her and onto Prim.

"Hydro Vortex!"

A surge of water descends onto the opposing Magmar and washing it away. When the water clears, the Magmar was seen in defeat.

"Electabuzz! Take them down! Now!" The other employee made their Pokémon use discharge, nearly wiping them out. Only for Gladion to switch out from Golbat to Type: Null, still getting wounded from passing through the discharge, however.

"Pursuit!"

Type: Null quickly advanced through the Electabuzz and slashed through its defenses, causing it to faint because of the uncontrolled splash damage from  
Hydro Vortex.

"Whew... two more to go!"

The two faced Faba how seemed to be desperate.

"H-H-how can this be? To be corned by mere children?!"

"Maybe helping out one another isn't so bad..."

Gladion turned to Hau and Luma who were prepared to battle once more.

"Luma! Hau! I leave Faba to you!"

The two nod and brought out their Pokéballs.

"I will show you the true power of Branch Chief Faba! The man who is called Aether Paradise's-"

"The last line of defense..." both Luma and Hau recited in unison displeased and unamused.

"Can we start the battle already?" Hau questioned with no patience.

"Or are you just gonna keep talking? That's what made you lose last time," Luma chuckled.

"Ugh! You children!" Faba shouted in annoyance.

"Cmon, Luma! Let's show 'em what our Pokémon at capable of! For Lillie and for Cosmog, too!" Hau shouted, bringing out his Incineroar.

"Yeah! Let's go!" Luma concurred and summoned her Ninetails.


	20. Not Alone

Faba's POV

These little brats...

I hear the three of them step forward.

"I wanna help save Lillie, so I'm going ahead! You don't mind, right?!" Hau' Oli La Aloha shouted directly at my face. While little Gladion was doing his signature scowl...

I turned to face the girl... her eyes... they're... it's like their freezing me to my core... I look towards the others. These children... how can they be so intimidating?!

I gave them the key without a single word and saw them immediately head towards the gate.

"Thanks for the key, Mr. Faba!"

Great. He's shouting again...

The gate opens, revealing the light of day and the beauteous manor of lady Lusamine. Having the three of them run off.

"This is why... THIS! Is why I can't bring myself to like children..." 

Narrator POV

"Lillie!"

Gladion sprinted towards the manor, not paying any heed to the countless Team Skull thugs around. Only to see Guzma up front and ready to fight.

"Well, well, well... if it ain't the little Enforcer himself!"

"Get out of my way, Guzma!" Gladion shouted in anger as the big bad boss himself cackled similar to a villain in movies.

Hau and Luma look in shock at all of the Team Skull thugs, baffled at the sight.

"Woah! There's, like, an uku billion Team Skull thugs in this place!"

Luma stood in silence and felt uneasy from the thick presence in the air...

"So the foundation really was working together with Team Skull? This is, like, way to mind-blowing to think about right now...."

Luma nodded as she stared at the sight.

"Luma! Let's knock some skulls together for now!" Hau shouted as he ran towards the thugs. Luma shook off the feeling of uneasiness and brought out her Alolan Ninetails.

Luma closed her eyes and saw all of the grunts surrounding her.

"Well, well, well... if it ain't little bracelet girl..."

"Let's have some fun, yo!"

The rest of the thugs brought out all of their Pokémon.

Thus began a battle that would be considered a war zone. 

Lillie's POV

I heard the sound of a battle occurring from outside... could it be?

"Faba... seems you have failed me... how disappointing..."

She turned back to me and glared at me with those once gentle eyes I knew for most of my childhood. But even though I'm trying so hard to get Nebby back from her... why can't I...

Someone... anyone...

Please save us...

Gladion's POV

"Null!"

I brought out Null after Guzma had already taken down my Golbat and Sneasel. He brought back his Golisopod from it's "Emergency Exit". It stood ready for me to battle it once more.

"Heh! What's the matter, Gladion? Had enough?"

"Tch! Shut up..."

I felt my anger swell up within me and take over my mind...

Damn it...

"Pursuit! We have to-"

"Hahaha! Gladion, Gladion, Gladion. You really are a numbskull ain't 'cha?"

I have to defeat him.

I have to get Cosmog...

I have to save Lillie! 

Luma's POV

"Ratiiiii!"

"Zuuuuuu"

I took down the rest of them thanks to Vivo and Kyu. I ran over to see another one of those thugs, but he didn't want to fight.

"Yo! Yo! Yo! Pretty strong, ain't you? Then go right ahead. I'm no numbskull. I don't fight battles I can't win!"

"Then step aside," I walk to witness Gladion's battle come to a close. But not how I expected...

Growl...

"Beat away what little of his pride is left, Golisopod!"

"...!"

Golisopod had used beat up on Null, which caused a thud to occur, and Null to faint from its injuries...

"Ngh!"

"You lose... nothing new... am I right Gladion." Guzma chuckled as Gladion fell to his knees.

"So I'm still not strong enough? All the days that I struggled... alone and lonely... it was all for nothing? Is that it?"

Guzma looked ahead and heard my footsteps. Seeing that all of his lackeys had fallen, he cringed a bit but soon returned back to his cocky expression.

"Oh? Well, look who it is..."

"Luma..."

I stopped in front of Gladion and raised my arm, with a Pokeball in hand.

"This battle is mine... I'm taking over."

Guzma chuckled and did his usual introduction. The same wrestler intro I heard over and over again.

"The hated boss who beats you down and beats you down and never let's up... yeah. Big bad Guzma is here!"

He walked up to me and leaned towards me. He was inches apart from my face. He then looked over my shoulder and saw Gladion.

"I did that spoiled brat a favor and crushed him. Yeah, that was me," he bragged on like he's beaten me the last time we met.

"Y'know, I kinda liked you, kid. Leaving home like that and wanting to get stronger and stronger. You had some real guts. Going so far as coming over to Team Skull. And rejecting your own mother?! Now that was impressive."

Gladion looked away from him in disgust. Possibly from not just Guzma, but his own disgust from losing to this guy.

"And now, It's your turn! You, little misfits, keep gettin' up in my grill, like a cloud of smoke that I can't brush away. It's time I put out your fire at the source!" He shouted as he brought out his Golisopod. I called out my Vikavolt, who flew ahead of me and hissed at Guzma.

"Alright, Luma! Win this!" I heard Hau shout as he took on most of the other grunts behind us.

"Wild Charge!" 

Narrator POV

Vivo flew straight ahead, bringing thunder from its body and rushing towards Golisopod, nearly knocking it out. But when Guzma knew it was gonna go out.

"Switch out! Go Masquerain! Attack with Bug Buzz! Make sure our little pest problem is taken down!"

"Wild Charge again!"

When Masquerain was brought out, it attacked with Bug Buzz and hit Vikavolt. However, it still charged in and attacked the Pokémon, causing it to crash to the ground. Guzma returned it quickly and brought out his Pinsir. However, Vikavolt was at the point of near fainting and was flying weakly in front of its trainer.

"Return!"

Luma instantly returned the weary Vikavolt and brought out her Arcanine, who unleashed a Flame Burst at the Pinsir's incoming onslaught of a ravenous X- Scissor. However, Arcanine was able to pull through with minimal damage and strike the enemy Pinsir to the ground with its type advantage and swiftly defeated the Pinsir before it could make its next move.

"Alright... startin' t' get on my nerves, kid," Guzma snarled at the girl who stood tall behind her Pokémon. But his gritting teeth soon changed to that of a cocky smirk when he summoned a fully healed Golisopod.

The girl stepped back and tried to bring back her Pokémon.

"Arcanine, return-"

"Razor Shell the mutt!"

The Golisopod complied and quickly took down the Pokémon before it could return and collided with the girl, knocking her down to the ground with a hard thud and a yelp of pain.

"Hey! That was a dirty move!" Hau shouted with a slight provoked tone.

Arcanine was returned back to its Pokeball and the girl slowly got up with her expression covered by some of the jet black strands of hair on her face. However, she brushed off the hair from her face and pulled out one of her Pokeballs with a puff of air escaping from her mouth, followed by a couple of small coughs and deep breaths.

"Hey! You okay, Luma?!"

Luma gave a thumbs up to Hau who was shouting from the sidelines and quickly brought out her Alolan Ninetails with a determined look on her face. Guzma chuckled at her actions and placed his hands in his pockets.

"Hehe, what'cha gonna do? You only have two Pokémon in your party. It's only a matter o' time till you'll end up on your knees like poor ol' Gladion over there!"

Luma looked behind her and saw the boy mentioned still on his knees with his head held down in shame, refusing to bat an eye at anyone.

"Tell ya what, if you give up now, I'll consider having you a part of my crew..."

Luma turned back to the man in front of her with an unreadable expression. Guzma reached his hand out from his pocket and pointed at the girl.

"Ya know the sayin' right? If ya can't beat 'em, join 'em? Well... we'll forget about your little beat 'em ups with my boys and gals and have you be part of this ragtag team of flunkeys. I'll even be nice and have you be my new Enforcer... what d'ya say, little girl? Wanna come join the winning team?"

A heavy air had come, along with a small gust of wind and grey clouds coming in and covering the blue of the sky. There was a moment of silence filling the area but soon ended after small chuckles were heard, turning into hysterical laughter.

"Th-the winning team?! You've gotta be joking! Unless losing to us counts as a win, I think I'll pass up on your offer and save my friend thank you very much," Luma scoffed. Guzma lowered his arm and crossed his arms and stood high and chuckled slightly.

"Then it's your bones... Take her down with a First Impression, Golisopod!"

Golisopod ran straight towards the Ninetails, but only for the fox Pokémon hopping out of the way due to its trainer shout and landed behind it readying its next attack.

"Aurora Beam!"

Ninetails complied and a blast of frosted light had appeared, freezing the Hard Scale Pokémon on the spot, only for it to shatter and for it to fall and faint in defeat. The only Pokémon Guzma had left was an Ariados and hoped to defeat the opposing Ninetails.

"Hmph! Guess that was a good one... but this time... I'll-"

"Okay, I'm just gonna stop you right there..."

Luma raised her palm in front of her and quickly interrupted the boss.

"Guzma. I think it's my turn to give you my own deal."

"Whatever. Guess I'll let ya talk," Guzma huffed and placed his hands in his pockets and faced the girl with an unimpressed look.

"I'll give you the chance to stop this battle right now."

"Excuse me?"

"As it stands now, were pretty even. You could probably beat me right now considering that you have a Poison Bug-type and I have fairy types on my side. One of them being an Ice Type..."

Guzma smirked and chuckled at the grit of his teeth, letting his ego inflate as he heard the words of being able to defeat the girl.

"However!"

"Eh?"

"I still have a secret weapon and one thing to defeat you."

Luma pulled out a maroon crystal from her bag; a Psychium Z. Guzma's eyes had soon turned into the size of Miniors as soon as she placed the crystal in her Z Ring.

"So...?"

"Tch! Come at me ya Numbskull! Ariados! Shadow Sneak!"

Ariados went straight towards the Ninetails as Luma clicked her tongue and shook her head in disappointment.

"I tried stopping you..."

Luma activated the Z Crystal and the same maroon light had engulfed the area in a strange aura. 

"A psychic move for a fairy type? You can't be serious! You already broke? It's already over!"

"Shattered Psyche! Engulf your foe in a psychological mayhem!"

The battlefield had been filled with a strange aura, causing the Ariados to be tossed around by the "telekinesis" of Luma's Ninetails. When it had enough, there seemed to be a crack in the sky, and battlefield had returned to normal, only for the Ariados to fall.

"G-G-Guzma! What is wrong with you?!" He shouted in defeat.

"Hmph, who's the big boss now?" Luma shouted as she returned all of her Pokémon.

"Tch." Guzma clicked his tongue in scorn and looked at Luma with annoyance.

"Looks like I got no choice. Go on... go through."

She looked behind to see the boy who was on his knees looking down with defeat in his eyes. She knelt down to his level after returning her Pokémon.

"Are you okay?"

There was a silence filling the air, along with a small breeze of the ocean. The silence broke after Gladion had clicked his tongue and clenched his fists.

"I wasn't strong enough... I couldn't defeat him..."

He continued and had let fear quake his very being.

"all that time... we're those two years a waste?"

Luma couldn't help but widen her eyes and quickly grabbed his hands. They were shaking in fear of his loss and the shame that he had brought to not just himself, but his Pokémon. Gladion had felt the warmth of her hands and looked at them, slowly trailing up from her arms to the familiar pale shade of blue in Luma's eyes.

"If they were really a waste, then Null wouldn't be here with you."

Gladion looked at her with wide eyes and gritted teeth while Luma looked at him shamefully.

"I read the files... in Secret Lab A..."

"Y-"

"I know... it was wrong of me to go in after you told me not to. But I..."

The girl paused and gripped the boy's hands in assurance. Quickly exhaling and continuing.

"I also know that you let your anger get the best of you. That you don't consider the consequences."

Luma let go of Gladion's hands and put her arms around him, pulling him into her embrace and placing her head in the crook of his neck. Gladion couldn't help but just stare at the girl, speechless of her actions.

"But that was because you felt so alone... that you had no one... that you must have suffered so much."

She pulled away and got up to her feet, reaching her hand towards the blonde who looked up at her with his eyes still interlocked with hers. He kept thinking to himself that she couldn't have known what she had been through, but the expression in her eyes could say otherwise.

"You are not alone... and the times you've had with Null and everyone else. Even with Team Skull, I know we're not a waste..."

"Luma..."

Gladion grabbed her hand and got up as she pulled him from the ground. Luma smiled gently at the boy and tightened the grip she had on his hand, giving him some assurance. She jumped a little when she felt his other hand cupping her's gently.

"Please.., help Lillie... and save Cosmog. I'll be right behind you."

She looked down at their hands and looked back up at him, nodding her head and placed a handful of revives and potions from her bag into Gladion's hands and turned towards the entrance of the Manor in front of them.

"Then I'll go on ahead, heal your Pokémon in the meantime. I'm counting on you too, okay?"

Gladion nodded and watched the girl run into the manor. Her eyes and her words burnt into his mind as usual.

"You may look strong... But I know deep down something's eating away at you."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Aha! Surprise! Another Chapter! Can't leave this arch without an ending, so please expect some new chapters soon. Until next time...
> 
> Stay Tuned!


	21. Unexpected Truths

Luma's POV

I ran into the manor and looked around the blank lobby and was greeted by those same blank walls and some accents of gold, black bars and columns, and cracks of sunlight beaming down to the ground. It was obvious that Lillie and Lusamine were not to be seen, but I did hear some noise come from the set of doors in front of me.

"Insolent child! What makes you think that you have the right to tell me what to do?!"

"Then... I'll take it back from you! W-with force!"

"Silence!"

I heard a thud and a yelp come from the other ends of the door and instantly ran towards the doors, quickly opening them and saw Lillie quickly getting up on her feet and turning her attention behind her, holding her cheek and covering a red mark on it. 

"Ah, Luminaria. It's been a while since we last saw you..."

I looked to see Lusamine looking down at me from the other end of the room. Her stare still devilish from the last time I saw her. There was a familiar air to her... something that wasn't very pleasant.

"Y... you came? You actually came to help me, Luma?"

Lillie's eyes looked red, however. She must've cried a lot. She was frightened after all that happened and remained strong this entire time...

"Oh, Lillie. I'm so sorry. I shouldn't have left you... you must've been so scared..." I whispered as I walked to her.

"Luma... thank you... thank you!" She shouted and hugged me. I hugged her back and savored this short reunion we had. Lusamine however, didn't seem to feel anything. Like a true villainous should.

"Hmm... so you know or another? A gifted young trainer like Luma... and she bothers with someone like you? How disappointing..."

Cringing as her actions, I tried to say something to her, but this image kept popping up in my head. I don't know what it was, but it caused me to feel even more uneasy than I already did.

"I don't need your approval, mother! Or your permission! I will save Cosmog!" Lillie shouted and that quickly snapped me out of my trance.

"My... you do say such incomprehensible things. Calling me mother? I don't have any children! Certainly not any wretched children who would run off and reject my love!"

Lusamine raised her hand and was preparing to strike Lillie down again, but quickly stopped as she saw me step in front of her and blocking her from Lillie's vicinity. She stepped away and placed her hand close to her mouth, composing herself.

"So tell me how you'll save that Pokémon. What can you do, Lillie? You failed to convince me to listen to you. You don't even have the strength of a trainer. The only thing you've ever done on your own is stealing someone else's research material!"

Lillie lowered her head and looked down at the ground in shame.

"You're not beautiful enough for my world... but fine. Since you're here anyway. You can watch me summon my sweet beast. And then..."

Lusamine turned away from the two of us and walked to what seemed to be an entrance.

"You can leave..." she finished and turned towards us.

"I'm not being foolish or selfish. I am asking you to listen, mother! Do not sacrifice Cosmog for that Beast's sake! If you open the Ultra Wormhole, Cosmog will.."

She was shaking... she hesitated quite a lot. But quickly told the horrid truth of what may come to Cosmog.

"Cosmog will die!"

Cosmog would die... if we let Lusamine have her way, not only would the beast be brought to the world, but Cosmog would pay the price.

"You're right... it probably will die... because I'm going to force it to use its power whether it wants to or not!"

"You're not even going to consider what harm that thing would bring? Or what you're asking of Cosmog!?" I shouted at her, but she laughed at my statement. It was obvious to her that Cosmog's life was a small price to pay.

"Please... mother. Listen to me..."

"Maybe if you really had been a daughter to me, I would have listened to you... too bad..."

She smirked and laughed as she was transported to what seemed to be another area in the "paradise". This woman... she may seem like a saint, but deep down, she's rotten to the core...

"Luma..."

I turned to Lillie who was in shock of the events that occurred.

"I really am happy that you came after me... but... I have to be selfish again..."

"What's up?"

"I have to ask you one more time... please..."

She looked up at me with eyes filled with tears and her mouth quivering with fear.

"Help me! Help Nebby! We have to save Nebby!"

"I will... I promise... we'll save Nebby, stop Lusamine, and travel the rest of this region with Hau and everyone else."

Lillie nodded and grabbed my hand. We looked ahead and advanced toward the transporter. We were then greeted by something horrid. Something you might see in a horror movie. This place was unknown to the both of us... all we did was look in horror at the frozen blocks of ice containing various Pokémon. Lusamine standing tall with her eyes filled with pride looked around like a child in a candy store.

I felt heavy when she told us to come closer and take witness to her works.

"What do you think? It's my private collection... my precious babies... They will all be preserved for eternity here."

I felt nauseous... so nauseous. These Pokémon...

"Oh, my Arceus..." my voice quivered.

I covered my mouth and looked in horror at all these blocks. They looked so... unreal... It truly was a place of the uncanny valley. It felt so unreal yet so familiar... It was so sickening... All I could do to keep myself from blacking out was turn to Lillie; who had the same horrified expression as I did.

"But my poor beast... what confusion, what rage must it feel, arriving in this strange world? It would not be right to confine its feelings in such a small case as these ones... it will need to express itself."

We turned to Lusamine and saw her devilish grin plastered on her face...

"I think I will let it express all its fury upon the Alola Region as it will!"

A gasp filled the air when we heard her plans... she wants the Beast to terrorize Alola... But for what purpose? It couldn't have been just for love... Could it? Is she really that insane to pull such a stunt?

"Woah! Luma! And Lillie!"

"...!" 

I turned to see Hau and Gladion arriving from the transporter. They seemed relieved to see us... I'm glad to see them... especially in this frozen hell. This nightmare...

"Guys..."

"Man I'm so glad you're okay!" Hau shouted and tackled Lillie with a hug. I'm... I'm glad to see you guys, too...

"Sweet Hau. So you came, too? I know better than to expect much from Faba, but really... Couldn't Guzma even stop a few children? Oh... and Gladion. Must you be so untidy?" 

Narrator POV

"Will you listen to us. Please! Don't open the Ultra Wormhole. You cant let the beasts run wild! We can't lose anyone else... Not like we lost Father! "

Gladion tried convincing the president to stop her foul deeds. His words were like Lillie's, but blunter and straightforward, taking the world into consideration. Still... His father? What does that mean? Lusamine faced him... and then to Lillie. Her expression changing from cold and lifeless, to gritted teeth and blistering anger.

"Do you think I've forgotten?! As if I could forget what happened that day... I hated the Ultra Wormholes from the depths of my being... But even so, I will be the one to go... I will not be stopped by my daughter who stole my Cosmog from me! And my son who took my Type: Null! All I ever did was give you two all the love I had, and all you did was betray me! You have no right to ask for my attention now!" She shouted at the top of her lungs, causing the two blondes to step back, and the Raven haired girl to turn and look at Lusamine with an even more confused look on her face. Hau, on the other hand, was confused like Luma, but in his own fashion.

"What? Daughter? Son? Wait...."

Until he puzzled everything together.

"Wait! You're all a family?!"

Luma's eyes were wide as she looked at each of the three individuals. Their hair, Their eyes, and even the tone of their skin. She figured it was just coincidence, but it all seemed to make sense the way Lillie tried to convince her with her words and Gladion and his knowledge of this place.

"Perhaps once we were... sweet Hau. But those wretches beside you left me."

Lusamine shook her head and seemed to have rid herself of what she wanted to reminisce.

"But it doesn't matter. None of that matters now! I was able to open the Ultra Wormhole using just the gases we extracted from Cosmog when it was in Aether Paradise, wasn't I?" She questioned herself.

"But now I have Cosmog itself inside this crate here... if I use its entire body, how many Ultra Wormholes will I be able to open? How many sweet beasts will come to me then?"

Luma stood straight and walked slowly toward her.

"No, Lusamine! Don't you remember what happened the last time the Beast came to this place? Why are you willing to let such monsters, let alone the lot of them, in this world?!"

She ignored her remark and kept questioning herself what may happen. Ignoring the pleas of halting this insane project.

"Please... Stop... If you make it use up too much of its power... you don't understand what will happen! When we ran away from the Paradise... It couldn't even move for ages after that...If you use too much of its power, it will die!" Lillie shouted in desperation.

Lusamine stepped forward with the crate containing the Nebula Pokémon in her clutches, wanting the children around her to watch her unveil what she considered a Grand Spectacle.

"I am the President of the Aether Foundation, Lusamine Virdis... And as the President, I will open the Ultra Wormhole for you... come to me, my sweet beast!"

With her words, a starry blue light engulfed the crate and unleashed a flash of blue and white lights, creating the familiar crack in the air, letting out the familiar figure of the Ultra Beast from before into the open. It's silent chirps filling the air. Along with the quiet whines and cries of Cosmog.

"Nebby... no!" Lillie shouted from her lungs.

Luma gritted her teeth, Hau widened his eyes, and Gladion had clicked his tongue as Lusamine's cackles had echoed throughout the area.

"You see! All over Alola! There should be plenty of beautiful beasts appearing all around Alola as we speak! On Akala and Poni... and look! Even on Melemele Island! Hahahaha! My sweet beast!"

Luma shook her head as she looked at the woman relishing in her accomplishments.

"You... how could you?!" Luma shouted in distress as she gripped her wrist close to her chest, her bracelet dimly glowing at the Beasts presence without her knowing.

"Madam Prez. The experiment was a success, huh? Looks like it's time to catch this wicked Ultra Beast to beat down these annoying upstarts!" Guzma shouts as he entered the area, witnessing what will happen. His curiosity caused Lusamine to concur and raise even more hell than she did.

"Guzma. Quiet those children for me. I don't want to hear from them again..."

Guzma stepped forward and readied to beat down the opponents that stand in front of him. Luma, on the other hand, was in her own delusion. Her eyes held shut and her mouth slightly agape with her head held low.

"Kukui... Hala... Mom... everyone... I can't... I can't lose you too... but why... why can't I move?" She questioned, but the light in her bracelet kept flickering as she felt herself black out again. 

Gladion ran straight ahead as if sensing her fear and raising his arm in front of her, turning the tables of what happened back outside the manor.

"I'll stop the beast! My partner Null was born to be a Beast Killer!"

Luma opened her eyes and looked up to see Gladion taking a stand.

She stood upright and felt that her eyes would find no rest.

"Hau! You take Guzma!"

"Heeeh??!!"

Hau shouted but reluctantly agreed and stood in front of Guzma, blocking his way.

"Luma! Stop the president!!"

She snapped from her trance and stared at the boy who gave her the order to take down the madwoman. She stood silently yet confused at his words. Almost like she didn't understand his words, her trance drawing her in once more.

"Luma! If we don't stop her, Alola will be flooded with beasts!! And. If she... If mother disappears, too.."

"If your mother disappears, too-" She winced as he felt his shaky hands on her shoulders.

"Now you worry about me?" Lusamine questioned as she stood confidently with her hand under her chin and continued. 

"Fine, Gladion. I will do what I must to put your worries to rest... By demonstrating my strength in battle. With you. Luminaria. You will battle me. If you snap out of your little trance that is." Luma seemed in shock. All of what was occurring was getting to her. It seemed like the trance she was in was similar to an episode of PTSD; like she witnessed something of this caliber before. But at an extreme level. That was until Gladion had increased his grip on her shoulders, which snapped her out of her trance. Yet she looked toward Lusamine. Then toward The frightened Lillie, who spectated Hau's battle against Guzma, who initiated their battle. Additionally, she looked at the looming Ultra Beast who was so eager to defeat anyone who stood in their way. It was then that she finally faced toward Gladion, who simply awaited her response. And what was her response? At first, she just said nothing like she did before. Secondly, she closed her eyes and took a deep inhale, clearing her thoughts in the process as she let all the air she held it out of her lungs. When she opened her eyes, the doubts had faded away and she was ready to battle despite her lackluster condition. Even though she seemed confident, the look in her eyes resembled like that of prisms before reverting to their usual powdered blue as she brushed Gladion's hands off of her shoulders.

"Luma! We have to get Nebby back!" Lillie shouted, adding more pressure to the raven-haired girl. But there was one detail that Lillie did notice that no one, not even Lusamine noticed; the glimmering light on Luma's wrist that had shone back then.

"I will stop you... and I do not intend to lose, Lusamine!" She said in an especially apathetic and serious tone, giving Lusamine an icy cold stare, which only caused the woman to grow even more enraged, but still maintaining her composure.

"What a disappointment... to think that you're all so small minded... you're going to startle my sweet beast!" Lusamine shook her head as she made that remark, looking at everyone with disapproval. She seemed calm until her feelings of anger had engulfed her.

"It looks like l need to silence you first in order to succeed... Luminaria Moon! Come! Clefable!"

Lusamine ultimately summoned out her first Pokémon, the fairy type Clefable, and readied for her move. Luma decided to bring out her ghost type Trevenant, and stood ready, trying to push away what seemed to be crude thoughts of the past.

"Now Clefable... let us see if we can defeat this girl. That should silence Lillie's last objections!"

"Heh. I'd like to see you try... Lusamine!"


	22. One Last Time

Narrator POV

Near Mahalo Trail

"Wait, this disturbance I feel," Hala said silently after stopping to see the clouds gather around Melemele Island. A gust of wind was heard near the vicinity of the Kahuna, along with a thud being heard. The source of the sound coming from what seemed to be yet another Ultra Beast. It was much different than the other. This one had that of a dainty thin figure with the "hair" of a cockroach, and long Antennae stretching near the ground.

"Oh, this one's a rare visitor! You come before the island Kahuna?" He shouts with a bit of hostility as the Ultra Beast charges in to attack the man. Only to be halted by the sudden appearance of the island guardian; Tapu Koko.

"Did you come here as a guardian or just to battle?" He asked as he looked at the sky to see three more lights descending onto the other islands.

"The other islands must surely be facing the same threat. I'm counting on you, my comrades..." 

Meanwhile in Ula' Ula' near Aether House

"You don't see this every day..." Nanu looks to see another Ultra Beast. This one with a red and black muscular build, four spider-like legs, and a face of a mosquito.

Acerola watched closely from inside Aether House along with the children from before. Looking up at the sky to see the island guardian, Tapu Bulu, appear before them.

"They'll be fine..." Acerola said silently to the kids who were shaking from fear.

"And I don't mean just the Kahunas either... Luma... Hau... Lillie..." 

Back at Aether 

Lillie's POV

The sounds of battles echoed throughout this place.

Hau vs Guzma,

Gladion vs the Ultra Beast,

and Luma vs Mother...

they're all doing so much... and here I am standing dumbfounded unable to do anything... seeing the crate Nebby's in and its silent cries being overshadowed by the battling.

"I want to help... but... I can't battle... what do I do?"

Hau's POV

"First Impression on his pokemon, Golisopod! Send it flyin'"

"Feeeee!!"

Uh oh, Leafeon's down. Incineroar's about to faint. But I do have Raichu... and his Pokémon is a water and bug type... hehe!

"I hope you're ready to eat your words, Guzma! Because you're gonna be the one sent flying!"

"You numbskull..." 

Gladion's POV

"Jrrr-rrrr!!"

Tch! This thing is even more annoying than Hau's screaming... but this thing is an actual threat. But it looks like it's about to attack again...

"Null! Use Bite!"

"Jrrrr-rrrrr-rrrr!"

They were dodging well, but Null ended  
up getting hit by one of the attacks. But they still managed to do some damage. I'm not so sure how long I'll be able to keep this up, but as long as I can keep doing my part in this, then-

"Brrrr..."

"Damn... it's going to attack again. Null! Charge at it with an X-Scissor!" 

Luma's POV

"Tch!" I clicked my tongue in annoyance as Lusamine's Mismagius sent my Trevenant flying with Mystic Fire. As I returned it back into it's Pokeball, I brought out my Primarina and quickly knocked it down with Sparkling Aria. It was a back and forth battle between me and Lusamine. I defeated at least four of her Pokémon, five if you count the newly defeated Mismagius, but she left me with only my partner pokemon, Primarina. My Vikavolt, Trevenant, and Ninetails were down while Arcanine is close to fainting. As I saw it, we were both tied. But I still felt so uneasy...

Something about this endeavor was all too familiar... not these events specifically, but just the nature of all of this.

"Heh. I must admit, you're quite gifted, Luma... now, if only you weren't affiliated with such a swine bunch of children."

"And I wish you weren't such a vile hearted woman. But, we can't have everything now, can't we?" I said nonchalantly as I balled one of my hands into a fist, trying to keep everything together. But, Lusamine didn't take too lightly to my snarky remark.

"We'll see who will have it all and who will leave in defeat. Liligant! Petal Dance!"

"Dodge it! Quickly, Prim!" 

Narrator POV

The battles of the three trainers were cutting it close. Everything was coming to their last attack and their last move. But could it really be enough? Although things were turning up for Hau and his Alolan Raichu, Gladion's Type: Null was at its limit with its control mask cracking from the last attack that the Ultra Beast had dealt, and Luma gritting her teeth, trying not to let uncertainty waver her intentions.

"Alright, Golisopod! Beat 'em up!"

"Jrrr-rrrrr!"

"Show no mercy!"

Things seemed dim but still hopeful. Doubtful yet determined, but still dim.

"C'mon you guys... I know you can do it!"

"...!"

Lillie was seen cheering on the three, standing tall but her voice wavering.

"I know you can do this! You've all been working so hard to get where you needed to be!"

"Lillie... you," Gladion silently said.

"I know I can do very much since I'm not a trainer! And that the only thing that I may be good for is taking Nebby from mother's hands or getting kidnapped! But even so, Professor Burnet and Professor Kukui took me in! You called me your friend! And you all came to save not only Nebby but me as well!"

The young girl was shaking from what her mother may say to her words. But nonetheless, let the words flow from her mouth like a waterfall. Even when Lusamine was staring daggers into her, she still stood tall and prayed for succession for the trio.

"Even if I can't do anything right now, I'll always be by your side! No matter what!"

"Lillie..." Luma silently turned towards the blonde whom stood tall, clenching her fists, holding a smile on her face.

"Hmm... how annoying... do you really think such words can be so encouraging... why not be good little children and disappear!"

Lusamine's remark caused Lillie to slightly jump and keep quiet, and the other three to return to their battles.

"Stun Spore her Pokémon, Liligant! Ensure that she has no means of attacking! Then we'll finish her off!"

The Liligant seemed hesitant on defeating the girl. Instead of following its trainer's orders, it stood idly. Idly looking at all that is occurring with the Beast, Guzma, and the monitors showing all of Alola either fleeing from the attacks of the other Ultra Beasts or the Tapu and the Guardians battling alongside their Pokémon, defending their homes.

"Liligant! Have you grown deaf?! Stun Spore her Pokémon!!"

Liligant reluctantly complied and unleashed a set of spores that would stun the Soloist Pokémon, but as Primarina dodged out of the way, some of the spores passing by his trainer, who seemed to have a burning aura radiating from her.

"Your Pokémon's attack will decide this. However, your Pokémon is a water type, while mine is a grass type. But, you still have the opportunity to use a Z- Move and take your win. But that doesn't change the type advantage that one has over the other." Lusamine explained as she stood tall, looking as though she had already defeated her opponent. However, a small chuckle had filled the room. 

Hau's POV

"Alright, Raichu! Let's take 'em down!"

I brought out a Z Crystal from my pocket and set it on my Z Ring, nodding at my Raichu who seemed confident. We were just about to defeat Guzma until we heard a loud crash occur behind us. I saw Type: Null slowly get up with its mask looking like it's about to crack open. I had to finish this as soon as possible so I can help him!

But something else got my attention. Not just me either, but the Ultra Beast that attacked Null also stopped. Even Guzma and Gladion had stopped what they were doing and turned toward a shining white gleam.

Hey... I remember that light! Now I really gotta finish this! I activated the Z Ring with the Aloraichium Z and performed the dance required to use the Electrium Z, and the mysterious aura radiating from the Z crystal has latched onto my Raichu.

"Alright, buddy! Let's finish this up and help our friends!"

I pointed upward towards the sky and then towards the Golisopod in front of me, waiting for my Pokémon to gather more and more energy, until finally soaring through the air and waiting for my signal.

"Okay! NOW! Stoked Sparksurfer!"

Raichu had descended quickly down towards the Golisopod, went through the Pokémon, and with a bang and crash, the Pokemon fainted and finally accepted defeat. Lillie ran ahead toward the light as soon as she saw it.

"Lillie! Wait for me!" I yelled as I tried keeping up with her.

"Luma! Hey! You okay?!" I kept shouting after returning my Pokémon and quickly ran towards her. Only for that light to quickly grow and stopping me in my tracks. Cmon, Luma! Tell me you're okay! 

Gladion's POV

There was a white light that engulfed the room which caused everyone around me to stand still, but Hau seemed to have taken the chance to defeat Guzma. But I saw the direction he was running to. He was running towards the light. It took a matter of seconds to figure out that the direction of the light was coming from where Luma and Lusamine were having their battle. But my attention then turned to something else; the loud thud of metal.

I turned to see Null's control mask on the ground torn to scrap metal. And just in front of the torn mask was another glow. It was similar to the light that was coming from the direction Hau headed off to, only this one was familiar.

The glow stopped and I was baffled at the sight of what had occurred. I slowly walked towards where that light had shined and saw what looked to be Null. Only this time... it changed. 

"Null?" I called out to it.

It turned to me, revealing that Null had indeed evolved. The Beast, however, seemed to be attracted to the light and made its way towards it as well.

"Oh no, you don't! Cmon Null!"

I ran alongside Null toward the light but was stopped when the light proved to be too bright. When my eyes adjusted, I saw the Ultra Beast floating idly, Hau and Lillie were standing beside one another just as baffled as I was when we saw Lusamine angrily comprehending what is occurring, and Luma standing idly as the bracelet she had was emitting the bright light we saw now.

Luma's POV

I see... so this was the light that Hau saw... it's so bright... but why is it glowing like this? Does it have any connection with the beasts? Either way, There was one thing I had to do. I pulled out the Primarium Z from my bag and placed it on my Z Ring.

"Type advantage won't matter when your Pokémon may already be at low health Lusamine..."

She looked frustrated. More angered than she already was. She was gritting her teeth and widening her eyes.

"Ugh, Liligant! Petal Dance before she can do anything!!!"

Liligant complied and used her attack on Prim, but not before I could initiate the dance that would normally initiate the water type Z move. The mysterious aura had made its way towards Prim from me. But it wasn't like the other times I initiated a Z Move, it felt more like I was giving my energy towards Prim.

"How... how can you be so awful!" Lusamine shouted. But I ignored her remarks and continued my attack.

"Shimmering Ocean waves that engulf the land... take this, my power from my mortal hand... the gift of the sea... Make this woman repent her wrongs!"

Prim started singing and collecting all of the moisture around the air and formed it into a huge sphere of water, pushing it towards his opponent.

"I could ask you the same thing. But I've seen far worse evil... now, Prim! End this with Oceanic Operetta!"

A loud high-C could be heard echoing from Prim as the water bubble had burst and caused Liligant to faint where it stood, and the battle to finally end... but not before I saw many images cascading in my mind.

"Tch! You are strong. I will give you that, Luma... But still... All that I want is my precious beast! I don't care about any of the rest of you!" She shouted as the Ultra Beast in front of us was about to return back to where it came. Lusamine had caught on and quickly turned around in desperation. 

Narrator POV

"No! The Ultra Wormhole is disappearing! Guzma! With me!" She shouted as she turned towards the man who seemed to have stood in defeat. To which he ran towards her and stood beside her.

"We will catch the beast using the Beast Ball that we've developed here..."

"yes, ma'am," Guzma complied and they made their way alongside the Ultra Beast. Lusamine waved towards the children who were standing idly at what was occurring. But Lillie kept calling to her mother, only for silence to respond to her cries...

"Mother! Why?!"

Only for another flash of light to appear and take them away, along with the Beast. This left everyone in grief where they stood and tried comprehending what had just occurred. The light from onto the bracelet had soon dimmed and the girl who owned it fainted from overwhelming its power, being brought to her knees.

"Hey! You okay?" Gladion quickly caught the girl before she hit the ground. She quickly opened her eyes and looked in front of her.

"H-How's Nebby? And what about Lusamine and Guzma?" She pleaded as she stared at Lillie, who was seen to be mortified.

Luma slowly got up and quickly walked towards the girl, nearly stumbling on her way there. But when she got to Lillie, she was scared to see the crate containing Cosmog to be open. But Cosmog didn't come out in its original state.

It was a lot smaller. It was the size of a coin. It was in a golden container filled with the familiar gasses of Cosmog, and a sleeping black core inside with a sleeping face. The two girls were standing in terror to see the change within Cosmog.

"What is it?" Gladion approached the little capsule looking thing.

"It changed forms... and it's not moving..." Lillie answered with tears overflowing from her eyes.

"Let's get out of here. Nothing good can happen here..."

Gladion turned away and quickly returned the newly evolved Null into its Pokéball and walked towards the portal. When Hau and Gladion had exited, Lillie followed suit. But she stopped as she saw Luma standing idly in a trance.

"Luma?"

"H-huh?"

"Aren't you coming with us?"

"Y-yeah... sorry... let's go."

Luma said as she turned toward Lillie, but not keeping eye contact with her, causing Lillie to worry. Even more, than she already had.

When they all exited out of the dreary hall, they were all greeted by Wicke.

"You're all back! Thank goodness..."

"Yeah, but there's still a ton we need to do... there's the president and Guzma, who both disappeared into the Ultra Wormhole. Not to mention Cosmog and why it stopped moving like that." Gladion had said to Wicke, hoping that she may know something's, but quickly shook his head at the remark he said.

"Even if she is... like that, Lusamine is still our mother. We can't just leave her in the beast's world... we might be able to reach other worlds if we had Alola's Legendary Pokémon on our side. The people of Alola worship it, but I don't know if it's even real..."

Everyone seemed deep in thought, a tense silence had filled the air. Until Hau quickly shook off the silence.

"Of course it is! After all, the beasts are real! I'm sure we can find it, we'll find the legendary Pokémon!"

Luma looked up from the ground and looked as Hau was jumping up and down, trying to shake off the restless air.

"You're right... everything will be fine... what about you Lillie? Are you okay?" She asked as she turned towards the girl who held the strap of her duffel bag.

"I have to thank you both... both you, Luma, and you, Hau..."

"No problem... what are friends for? Am I right?" Luma responded. But it seemed... off...

"Are you okay?" Lillie asked.

"Yeah..."

But she seemed far from okay. She had a weak smile, and her eyes were half open after fainting. It looked like she was going to collapse again.

"If you and your friends would like to get some rest first, I have prepared a few beds in the staff's residential quarters..." Wicke offered towards everyone as she examined the girl. The two boys agreed to her offer. Unfortunately for Lillie.

"I think... I'll sleep here. In the bed that I once shared with my mother when I was small... just one last time..."

She walked towards a king-sized bed with a black frame and gold drapes.

The others agreed and left Lillie be to rest. Luma looked behind her, towards the set of doors that they just exited, holding her head and silently wincing. 

"Luma?" Wicke cooed as she saw the girl stand idly, looking at the set of doors.

"Augh... Nng... Gah... C-Comin'... Ugh." Luma fell to the floor with a thud before she could take another step back into the building behind her and slowly lost consciousness. The only thing she could really recall before completely losing her awareness was the sound of Wicke's heels swiftly approaching her sprawled frame and calling for help with Hau yelling what had happened and Gladion turning back at her. But that wasn't all she heard before closing her eyes. 

"Your fate has been sealed."


	23. At the Mercy of a Dream

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Oh man... This chapter right here is gonna take most of you for a trip.

Narrator POV 

When one dreams, it is to entertain their mind while they rest for the night. However, depending on the person’s experiences through their life, you can find that certain events may be projected into their mind that is plastered into their memory; or at least a warped version of it when they dream. This an especially be impacting if the memory that the person had experienced had changed their life as they knew it whether it may be in a good or harmful way. Unfortunately for Luma, it is the latter. Furthermore, to make it even more unfortunate it is a dream that she would always have ever since she was seven years old. It wasn’t even that it was a dream; it was more of a nightmare.

The dream would repeat the same way as she pictures herself plummeting to what looks to be the deepest depths of a dim lit sea filled with nothing but her, the rushing water, and the bubbles she just so happens to be created along the way with her eyes firmly shut until she approached the bottom. 

Opening her eyes, she positions herself to land on the floor with her feet planted firmly at she looks around the area for clues as to where she might be. But alas, not a single clue has lingered in her mind. However, the only thing that happened to cross her mind is what happened before losing consciousness after her difficult battle against Lusamine and saving Lillie and Cosmog alongside Gladion and Hau. Kept in mind, Luma desperately tried to search for her friends amidst the abyss only to be met with another person that does not fit the description of the formers listed rather than another person altogether. 

“It’s been a while, Luminaria… How are you doing?” the person asks, turning their back away from the girl. But before Luma could ask her plethora of questions, the stranger reveals their self as a mirror of herself but with bright chromatic eyes. It was then that Luma started recollecting about Hau’s description of her when she blacked out from her first battle against the Ultra Beast. 

“I asked you a question, didn’t I? How are you doing?” the mirror repeats insistently as the scenery clears revealing a poorly lit hall of a facility. It looked like Aether Paradise, but with an opposite color scheme. The walls were an old shade of blue with small green lights lining near the ceiling. Luma seemed more gravitated toward what was going on, so she decided to humor the mirror by answering her question. 

“I don’t know. Can you tell me where I am?” 

“You mean you still don’t remember? Or maybe you chose to forget about this place after what you witnessed here,” she replied without feeling. The mirror switched from her empty smile to a vacant look; that which seemed to be void of feeling to Luma. But this only caused more questions to appear in her mind than answers. It was then that the mirror had motioned the girl to follow her deeper into the facility along the poorly green lit hallways. With every step, Luma could feel the air growing thin and the weight on her shoulders increasing as they went further in. Before they could go on, Luma stopped walking. She only now realized that further in the hallways was a foul stench; one that not even a Trubbish nor its’ evolution Garbodor could stomach. Accompanying the rotting smell seemed to be something that almost smelled of brittle metal. Luma was frozen in time when the smell seemed all too familiar to her; it was that of rotting flesh along with the scent of blood. The mirror, however, seemed to have approached normally deeper into the hallway without any difficulty. It wasn’t until a moment later after Luma had halted in her tracks that the mirror turned to her wondering what was the matter with her and why she wasn’t willing to go further. Luma had answered with a slight stutter and a soft whimper in her voice. 

“Wh- What is this? Where are you taking me?” 

“If you wish to find the truth on your own, then continue to follow my lead,” She replied with tone shrouded in annoyance as the girl winced from her tone. But Luma still had so many questions, so she figured to ask at least a few of them. It was all she could do. 

“But… Why do you look like me? And what’s with those eyes?” 

“Enough talk. I will not be answering any of your questions. Besides, we’ve reached our destination. Furthermore, I have a question myself that I want you to answer.” 

“Why should I answer your question if you’re not willing to reply to any of mine? I hardly think that’s fair,” Luma raised her voice in the same tone of annoyance that the mirror had. Only the mirror closed her eyes and nodded, finally giving Luma at least one of the answers she wished to seek. 

“I will be taking you to this room. This room is what connected you to your sorrows. This room contains truths that you decided to run away from. I’m here to reveal to you at least a speck of that truth. However, it will be quite gruesome. Are you prepared? No matter what, you cannot look away.” 

Luma seemed more worried than ever when she got a closer look at the door’s tiny windows. Contrasting from the green light was a dull shade of red that had seeped through the cracks of the twin metal doors that the two children stood against. As the mirror predicted, she opened the door and proceeded to unveil an unsettling sight to the ten-year-old, who was now quaking in fear. Taking one more sip of air, her feet moved on their own as her eyes continued to widen to the size of Voltorbs. By the time she stepped into the doors, she started to lean on the entrance as the scent grew to be too much for her. And it was by the time she felt herself fall to her knees was when the dim green filling the room was replaced with a sudden flash of beaming white lights revealing splatters of dark red along the dull metallic walls. Luma’s breath felt thin as the scent had started to take over her mind when she looked closer at the room’s vicinity, taking note of not only the blood and the aroma, but the various lifeless statues of Pokemon looking down at what appeared to be dug up graves. 

‘But why were there graves indoors?’ she wondered to herself as she picked herself up from the ground and walked slowly toward one of the graves. The vacancy of the grave was unknown to her, but the heaviness in her body halted her from looking any further into the grave and having her attention toward the statue that looked down at the hole. The statue was that of the Flame Pokemon, Flareon, balancing on flames as solid as itself with its eyes closed shut and its head bowed down. Just next to it was a statue of Oshawott. Then right behind that statue was yet another vacant grave, but the statue this time resembling that of the Rock Type Pokemon, Rockruff. She walked along and saw the following four Pokemon as she passed through the graves; Misdreavus, Marowak, Blitzle, and a Pikipek. Then just ahead were a set of graves closely next to each other each with different Pokemon of their own. The two Pokemon who were watching closely at the graves to Luma’s knowledge was a Cryogonal and a Klink. Her heart felt heavy, yet her head was as light as helium as she looked up to see one last grave. When she takes notice of the final statue, small steps were heard as the mirror began to approach the grave with her posture brimming with confidence as she passed the girl who began to feel pale. But before the mirror could ever proceed, she stopped and turned to Luma, who had tears streaming from her eyes in a continuous motion without her knowledge. The mirror, taking pity on the girl, knelt on one knee to be at eye level with her counterpart, and started to speak in a soft pianissimo. 

“Poor child. Why do you cry?” Feeling her face, Luma took notice of the tears and quickly wiped them from her face. But her efforts were null and void as the tears just kept shedding from her face much like the fur from a Cottonee. So, she only really answered with gestures from her hands pointing toward the blood-stained walls and countless graves behind them. 

“W-Who wouldn’t cry from… From all… This! There’s just… So much blood everywhere, a-and the graves… It’s just… Just…” 

“It’s just too much, isn’t it?” The mirror answered, grabbing the girl’s hand gently, and leading her toward the final hole in the form of a grave. There looked to be a thinned crowd of mourners crowded near the grave. Yet something looked to be amidst this one. This one grave was shallow as the shores of the beaches in the islands of Alola where she lived today. But at this moment, it felt like time had stopped when she broke through the crowd and felt every fiber of her going numb when she saw who these mourners were grieving for; a man who was buried in the dirt as if he was supposed to be hidden from the world’s eye. To Luma, it was like looking at a crime scene. A crime scene she wished she had never seen. The blood kept spewing from the body onto the soil in a continuous stream like the tears on her face. She then started to hyperventilate as she uncovered the dirt from the man’s face and off his body from below his chin to the end of his toes. It was then that various memories kept surfacing as she stared at the corpse laying on his grave. Constant cries and wails from the past echoing in her head and desperate pleas going unanswered to Arceus above. When Luma came back into ‘reality’, she looked up to see the mirror at her face with her eyes glowing like the countless stars in the sky. The mourners following her lead as they looked away from the shallow grave and toward Luma, who was an emotional mess as she breathed in and out in an uneasy allegro pace as she backed away from the grave. 

“Now I believe I have yet to ask my question… Can you feel their pain? Their sorrow? Their agony? Each of these feelings can linger when one dies. I wonder… Is that how you felt when dear daddy dearest died?”

Luma couldn’t answer clearly as she kept looking toward the mourners who in turn had said the same unidentifiable look of leprosy on their face.  
“It hurts… It hurts… It hurts,” they cried to the girl as they reached their decaying arms toward the frenzied Luma, who in term shouted at them to back away as she ran toward the door passed the graves, which was sealed shut from the outside. The mourning lepers slowly approached the girl who leaned back at the sealed doors as she desperately brought out one of her Pokeballs from her bag. 

“Prim!” Luma cried, only for nothing to escape but the countless cries of the lepers as they reached their arms toward the girl. The girl only continued to sift through her bag for the rest of her Pokemon, but the result was the same; no one came to help her as the lepers slowly approached. By the time they were within arms reach to her, Luma had curled herself into a ball and wailed as the lepers crept their blood-stained hands onto her with Luma extending her hands toward the shallow grave and the mirror that stood beside the statue with her eyes glowing a prismatic array of colors with a vacant look on her face. 

“Help… Blood… So much… Blood.” 

When one dreams, it is to entertain their mind while they rest for the night. However, depending on the person’s experiences through their life, you can find that certain events may be projected into their mind that is plastered into their memory; or at least a warped version of it when they dream. It wasn’t in Luma’s case, however. Every time she dreamt, it was the same thing for four years until she moved to Alola. That is until her first couple weeks in Alola and this very night as she woke up. Her face stained with tears, eyes as red as an Ariados’ body, her breath shallow and short, and her mouth gaped open with each breath that escaped from it.  
Luma slowly rose up from the bed she had rested upon, taking notice of the moonlight outside and looked around her surroundings; specifically, toward the walls and the door. Then towards a hand mirror that was on the nightstand. She picked it up by the handle and looked at her tear stained face from the glass surface trying to take notice of her eyes. Her eyes looked to be their normal shade of blue. She thought for a split second the mirror would turn on her and send the lepers after her again from her dream; to make her recall that day all over again. She gritted her teeth and sounded out a growl from her pearly whites as she raised the mirror as high as her arm could go but didn’t do anything else. She simply froze with her eyes shut and her arm slowly descending and allowing the mirror to slip from her hands and onto the floor; her knees followed suit as she collapsed onto the ground as she recalled from when she tried to shake her father up to his funeral as she watched the gravediggers throwing dirt into the deep rectangular hole on the coffin that contained his lifeless body. She cried every moment she remembered when she was alone. This time was no exception as she lowered her forehead onto the floor as she wept. But it wasn’t for long as she swore she could’ve heard footsteps approaching at her door. 

Still feeling as though she was still in her dream, Luma ran toward her door and swiftly opened her door without taking the look on her face to consideration.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This particular chapter is far different from the chapter written from the Wattpad version, and I think I'm a little bit happier with this version since it contains a LOT of foreshadowing. So I hope you're all excited for the next one and future parts to come.
> 
> Until next time...
> 
> Stay Tuned!


	24. How We Got Here

-After the events of Chapter 22- 

Narrator POV 

"Luma?" Wicke cooed as she saw the girl stand idly, looking at the set of doors.

"Augh... Nng... Gah... C-Comin'... Ugh." Luma fell to the floor with a thud before she could take another step back into the building behind her and slowly lost consciousness. The only thing she could really recall before completely losing her awareness was the sound of Wicke's heels swiftly approaching her sprawled frame and calling for help with Hau yelling what had happened and Gladion turning back at her. But that wasn't all she heard before closing her eyes. 

“Luma? Hey, what’s the matter?!” Hau shouted as he ran toward the collapsed form of the girl who had just collapsed in front of the mansion. Gladion shortly followed suit and followed close behind as Wicke made her own diagnosis after letting out a sigh of relief.

“She only fainted. I’m sure the poor girl must’ve overexerted herself,” Wicke informed the two looking up at the floor in hopes of an explanation. 

“Whew, thank Tapu,” Hau sighed with a melancholic smile, knowing the exact reason. But it wasn’t quite the answer that Wicke was looking for. So, the only answer that Wicke had to say with a gentle yet stern tone was “I have many questions as to what happened in there. But for now, could one of you take Luma to the residential quarters? I’m sure she’s earned herself a well-deserved rest.” Gladion sighed as he walked over to Wicke and picked the girl from the ground. 

“I’ll take her. After all, it’s partially my fault she’s like this,” Gladion muttered as he turned his back on the Assistant Branch Chief and made his way to the elevator as Hau was baffled to see the former Team Skull Enforcer scoop the girl off the ground so effortlessly, but tried to put it behind him as he helped Wicke up from the ground and followed Gladion who was on his way to the residential quarters. During that time frame, the two boys explained everything that had happened during their encounter with Lusamine and how she was able to convince Team Skull to fight alongside her. They even spoke of the events prior to what happened before they got here and how Lillie was kidnapped to forcefully kidnapped by Faba and a couple of the employees in the foundation. Wicke knew about Team Skull and their involvement since she heard one of Lusamine’s conversations with Guzma, but she was disappointed to hear about Faba’s misconduct; she knew Faba was self-centered, but she thinks that he would hurt anyone. Even so, someone needed to keep an eye on the Foundation with the current president being stuck in another dimension and all. 

“You all went through so much during your respective journeys. Learning all you know, battling for what you see is right. I can’t wait to see what kind of people each of you become. Especially you, Young Master,” Wicke smiled calmly at the young blonde who seemed more confused rather than happy with the woman’s statement. Hau concurred and replied to Wicke’s statement with a huge grin, “Yeah. You might have some problems to deal with but were with you all the way. And I know Luma feels the same way!” 

“Hmph… You give me too much credit. More than you should.” 

“You did run away for your own reasons, that’s true. But you also did it in order to protect not yourself, but your Type: Null. You were able to make your own choice even if your mother didn’t allow it. You tried changing things for the better. For your family.” Wicke paused as she looked at Luma who rested softly on the bed and looked back at Gladion as she thought back on the words Luma had said when the two first met. Gladion looked down at the Premier Ball containing the newly evolved Type: Null and thought back the first time he had escaped the Aether Foundation. The downpour echoing in his head along with the slowly developing rage of the ocean waves that accompanied the monochrome of the clouds. As he ran with the Premier Ball in the pocket of his sweatshirt, he heard the shouting of his mother who yelled for him to return the Beast Killer even as he was cornered and forced to jump from the balcony and into the frigid sea. It was hell trying to find a place to stay, but he had some damnable luck on his side as he was found by Guzma near Route 10 on Ula’ Ula’ Island and was taken in by Team Skull as the Enforcer. Although he made a lackluster income, it was enough for Gladion to get a motel room in Akala Island and leave the suffering that he endured with the grunts behind him for an extensive amount of time. He didn’t mind the bit of mental abuse or the isolation if it meant that it could save Lillie and prevent his mother from going overboard with the Ultra Beasts. Until Luma and Hau showed themselves. In a way, it felt much like a fairy tale the way Gladion thought back from when he first battled the two. He didn’t think twice about them until he kept running into them and vice versa. He didn’t think twice of the compassion he was shown by his former foe until their last battle. In fact, he didn’t want to think twice about any of them at all. But with Lillie and Cosmog on the line, he had no choice but to come clean with them. As he did, thanks to the previous encounters, he felt as though he could finally set aside from trust for the two trainers that came to his aid. The world may have been cruel to him, but it appeared to be much brighter and kind as time passed by. The opportune moment just needed to show itself as strength in numbers was needed. He smiled thinking that and finally opened his mouth as Hau looked over next to him.   
“I guess… I don’t know. Maybe I wanted to see what the world had to offer. See where my choices lead me.” Giggling, Wicke had thought back at those familiar words. 

“Woah! You sounded just like Luma! She said the same thing the last time we came here,” Hau shouted pointing his finger towards Gladion as Wicke silently shushed Hau to keep the atmosphere calm. Gladion seemed a bit oblivious to Hau’s remark but figured that Luma would say something along such lines. The day had passed with little to no more events stemming from the encounters and the siege. Lillie was still in the manor regaining a sense of composure and recovering from what happened, Hau slept the day away after talking to his party and praising them for their work, Wicke worked on her part of research she received from Lusamine and tried to find some way to open the Ultra Wormhole. As for Gladion, he was wide awake unlike the others and decided to search through the entire structure for any clues. He was able to find one clue to finding his mother, however; that clue being in the form of a bright golden flute with orange engravings, along with an emblem of the sun attached to it. He discovered in the notes that Lusamine had taken that with the Sun Flute, along with its’ counterpart, the Moon Flute, when a melody is sounded at the top of the Altar of the Moone in Poni Island, then the legendary beast that calls the moon would appear. He kept the flute in his pouch until tomorrow morning. After that, he called it a night and decided to go to the residential quarters where he decided to stay instead of his old room inside the mansion where Lillie was staying. He thought about it but muttered a quick no and walked away from the building to spare him the recent memories. 

Yet as he was about to head over to the male residential quarters, he couldn’t help but worry about Luma and if she’s woken up at all. Or if she was resting at all. Clicking his tongue from the restless searching, Gladion had stepped forward to the opposing building that contained the girl’s residential quarters. When he reached the building, Gladion took note of the weeping in one of the rooms and kept his ears for the room the crying was coming from. When Gladion finally found the room from where the crying, it not only stopped, but frantic footsteps approached the door in a steadfast crescendo. It felt as though Gladion had slightly jumped as a heavy breathing Luma slammed the door open looking blankly outside of her room as she placed all her weight down on the doorknob. The only thing she could really do was steady her quaked breathing and keep herself balanced. By the time she regained her breathing, she started to realize the dried-up tears on her face as she took note of the person at the edge of her sights. Gladion stared at Luma as she gained her composure and stood with a straight back; a far cry from the person she was a while ago. Shaking off the fear she felt a second ago, she asked Gladion in a nervous tone, “H-Hey, what’s up.” 

Gladion wanted to respond but could only recall when Luma stayed with him for the night at the motel in Akala; trying to shake off the fear with not so assuring words with the same puffy red eyes on her face. 

“Well, I’m going back to bed so don’t about- “ 

“Hold it,” Gladion interrupted before the girl could run back into her room. She just winced at the sound of his voice and watched as he went into the room and took note of the mirror on the floor. 

“Hey! Who said you could just waltz in here!” she shouted only to freeze up once more as he turned his gaze to her, throwing her heels at her feet responding, “Come on. We’re going to the courtyard.” 

Gladion walked out of the room and waited as Luma slipped on her heels and headed out the door. After that, they silently walked outside where the island breeze had delicately flowed through the atmosphere. It was quiet; the only thing that could be heard was the waves of the obscure blue ocean carrying the island in the distance. After a few more moments of silence, Gladion stopped in his tracks and turned back towards Luma, who followed close behind and stopped the same moment that the former set his Smaragdine gaze on her. Luma, in her own inner conflict, was confused why he wanted her to follow him. The silence was calm. But in time, the air between them grew more compromising. 

Gladion’s POV 

From the looks of it, she looks fine. Guess I don’t have much of a concern to worry. Damn it all. Was it because of what she did earlier today? 

“So, Umm…” 

“Everyone was worried about you. Are you alright?” 

“Wh… Yeah. I was just a bit overwhelmed. That’s all.” 

“There you go again,” I whispered to myself. From the way she tries to smile and wipe away those tears earlier, she’s the type of person who always hides her pain to help others. But the way Luma looked at me in a skeptical manner, guess she’s got questions. But before she could start, I got some questions I need to inquire about this girl. Like was she able to battle like that? And that light. When that light appeared, that light caused Null’s control mask to crack and gain control of its full power. If I were to take a quote from this girl, there’s more to her than meets the eye. 

“Listen, why did you? -“ 

“Were you able to sleep?” 

“Wh-Uhh… Not really. But I’m totally fine now, see?” 

“You’re not a very good liar.” 

“Yeah well… Y-You’re up. Couldn’t you sleep at all?” 

“I... Tch.” Damn it all, don’t make me say it… 

“Well?” She doesn’t have a reason to get so provoked. Besides, I’m only talking to her because… 

“I was concerned. Anyone could get concerned about someone who lost conscious. Especially after our last battle.” That’s right. She nearly took one of Null’s attacks head on to prove a point and just left with a bump and scratch on her head. Not only that but doing two separate infiltrations on both Team Skull and the Aether Foundation. Even with that tone in her voice, she sounded restless. Almost like she got no… 

“N-No it’s not that at all! In fact, they just grazed me! I just got a cut on my head is all! Honest!” Well… I feel like an idiot for not realizing the bags on her eyes.

“You haven’t been getting much sleep, have you?” 

“Wh-What are you talking about?! I’ve been getting plenty of sleep…” As I said, you’re a terrible liar. And your voice is trailing off. 

“What was that?” I lost my patience after awaiting her response and her repeated mumbling. 

“E-Even if it wasn’t enough, okay? I just had a lot on my mind lately…” What could possibly be on her mind? Unless...

“You’re worried about Lusamine and Guzma, aren’t you?” 

“I mean… She’s your mother, right? One of your parents… Your family- “ 

“You shouldn’t worry about that.” 

“But I do. I don’t…” She paused after that. Arceus, enough of that mumbling… 

“Would you stop mumbling and just- “ 

“I don’t want you to lose anyone important! Not like I did…” She raised her voice, but that time I heard her loud and clear in that last part she tried to mumble. What is she trying to take pity on me? Get real… I don’t need any pity. I need… I must get stronger. 

“Gladion… It’s going to be a long night if that’s okay with you. I feel wrong knowing that bit of your past. So it’s only fair you get to know mine…”


	25. How It All Began

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> woo this took a bit to write! Either way, I do hope you guys enjoy!

Champion of the Stars Chapter 25: How It Began 

Luma's POV 

There was this girl who loved her family very much and was very fortunate to have. But four years ago, everything changed. And not for the better. 

It all started with a simple family of four from the Unova Region... A Father who is known to travel the world as a sort of mercenary Pokémon Trainer who takes his eccentric daughter along, a mother who worked as a Pokémon Conservationist at her company, and a son who spent most of his childhood alongside those Conservational Pokémon to become an up-and-coming Pokémon Trainer. Someone that could potentially throw a champion out of their throne. 

And it all started when the Conservationist found the Wanderer lying on the street beside the building she worked. She decided to bring him and provided him with the shelter, food, and water he needed. But the Conservationist didn't fall in love with the Wanderer yet. Instead two years after taking him in, she fell in love with a young veteran who would be sent to another world on official business. But before he would go on his mission, he promised to marry the Conservationist and give her a son. And in the year of 2005 on November 18th, the couple fulfilled their promise and brought their son, Meliodas Taiyang Sun, into the world. But they didn't have much time to celebrate as a few days after, the Veteran was put on active duty and didn't have much time to get to know his son. None of them got the chance to know about his mission. Nor that it would be the last time they would see him again. No one from his squad did. 

This left the Conservationist, now a widowed mother, and their son to never know about his father. As for the Wanderer, he found out when the Mother came to him in desperation with her son in her arms. In due time, the widowed mother grew to move on and raised her son alone. That short amount of time allowed for her to get to know the Traveler and what he lost. He revealed the story of his past in an unknown region filled with cults trying to get their hands on Legendary Pokémon. He was born as a bastard who was barely getting through in life. None of his parents wanted him. The cult he was born into wanted to use him as a sacrifice for their deity Pokémon. But with all the strength he had left, he did things others may have regretted and escaped the region he knew as a prison with his bit of knowledge on Pokémon. Some of the Pokémon had feared him, Others chased him out. But on rare occasions, they understood his feelings and traveled alongside him. This sparked the Widow and she allowed herself to fall in love with the Traveler. The Traveler returned her feelings and a love between the two blossomed. There were somethings that never really made sense. But in due time, the Widow had a daughter with the Traveler. The mother told her daughter that the Traveler never really cared much for the people of the world because of the way the people treated him in the past. But when he first had her in his arms, he promised his child a hopeful future, a world that maybe filled with many faults as much as there is beauty, strength of the heart, body, mind and soul, and his undying affection toward her. 

He kept true to his promise and took his daughter to travel along side him for a long duration of her childhood. The daughter made friends with many People and Pokémon alike on their travels. She was happy to be along side him, even if the way toward her travels was difficult for her small frame. But there was a certain day that would change the family’s life forever. For the past couple of months, the Mother wasn’t really around her work and no one really knew where they went off to. But no one could’ve predicted what happened on the day of March 21st, 2012. 

No one knew what happened. It just did. There wasn’t much damage aside from the building the Mother worked at turned into rubble. miraculously enough, there were only a handful of casualties. But it was still a great loss as the Traveler was among one of the casualties. No one knows the details, only that there was a giant pillar of light that took the building and others around it. The only person in the building that ever survived was the daughter, who sat among the rubble; her head looking toward the sky in a daze as the rain and sun sprinkled down on her. It was almost like she escaped through the deepest darkest depths of the Reverse World. It looked to be a sight so surreal you would only see it in movies. Even when the brother ran toward the dumbstruck girl and took her into his arms with a loud sob and a plethora of apologies. The Mother taking her children out of the rubble and back home where they would be bombarded with paparazzi and news stations hoping to gain publicity after what had occurred that very March 21st. To get away from all the publicity all Unova had slathered on their backs, the family moved to a new region to move on from the tragedy after the funeral service. The Mother tried to move on from losing another love to poor circumstance. The Brother had decided to become a Pokémon Master to provide for his family. As for the Daughter, she mourned for her loss more than any had known. It appeared she would never leave her room. The only times she would ever leave was to dine with her mother and brother. Other than that, she avoided everyone entirely in hopes of not harming anyone else. That is… after what seemed to have felt like a year of weeping, the girl stepped out of hiding and wandered with emptiness in her eyes. 

As she walked, she wondered how things could’ve been different. How things could’ve changed. What she could’ve done to save her father’s life if there was a way. With the thoughts of grief and sorrow engulfing every bit of her being with each step she took she held back tears that would cascade again if the thought were to come across her mind for what felt to be the only thing that crossed her mind. She couldn’t quite remember what else occurred after that, but she remembered waking up onto her own bed and felt as though a Snorlax had been lifted from her chest. She got out of her bed and with the books she read alongside her parents when she was younger, she remembered the promise she was told by her mother that her father promised. A hopeful future, a world that maybe filled with many faults as much as there is beauty, strength of the heart, body, mind and soul, and his undying affection toward her. All things that she was able to see and feel. But as for the strength, she felt as though she needed to search for that herself. But before she could, she needed knowledge. So, she figured on digging up all the information her parents gathered from their research and travels. She got a chance to know everything most people her age would dream of knowing. And it was because of all this knowledge, she found out about other regions and how she may be able to interact with Pokémon and how to catch them. She was even able to catch a Pokémon with a poke ball before setting it free. She even read up on potions and the assorted items used by Pokémon Trainers to aid their Pokémon in battle. Everything she knew of how to become a Pokémon Trainer, she read from books and constant research. That research led her to Alola. She wanted to go there to become a trainer instead of becoming a Pokémon Trainer in Kanto or Unova like her brother. Although it was difficult for her to convince her mother and brother to go, her mother decided that they would go to Alola. But her brother stayed behind to complete his adventure. And so, the girl would begin her journey in the new region. 

That girl with her knowledge and her new Pokémon decided to travel and met a lot of people that called her friend. For that she was grateful. You’re probably wondering just who that might be? You’ll find out sooner than you think. 

Narrator’s POV 

“That was four years now since that day. I thought I’d get over it. But it looks like I haven’t. Especially with those dreams… I don’t know. Maybe it’s a side effect. Or maybe it’s just that I finally excepted that it happened. Either way it feels like my insides have been gouged out by Beedrills.” Luma had told her story to Gladion, who seemed surprised but at the same time tired from the seemingly long tale she had reminisced. Gladion had always thought she lived just like any other child at eleven years old would’ve lived. She did at first much like him, but thanks to circumstances unknown her life changed. But not for the better. But there was something that Gladion did recall on that day. 

It was while Lusamine had been preparing dinner one day that there was a special report on the news of a building disappearing in a flash of light in Castelia City. It was said that there were a few casualties including a traveler whose body was discovered beside a little girl who sat beside the corpse. There were a couple more things that occurred during the incident, but it seemed like such a long time and the details were all a blur for anyone to remember. 

“I’m-“ 

“I didn’t tell you this because I wanted pity. I wanted to tell you because I wanted to have a better understanding. You know that more than I do,” Luma interrupted Gladion with swift words proven to strike true as Gladion closed his mouth and cleared his throat nodding to Luma’s response. Luma simply sighed and leaned on the walls of the exterior of the mansion and lowered herself in a sitting position all the while groaning and propping her head down. Gladion just sat beside her as she placed her head in her hands and released a sigh. 

“Are you okay?” 

“I’m fine. Just that having post traumatic nightmares suck and have been currently ruining my sleep…” 

Luma looked up toward the starry sky above the island and smiled at the stars muttering “Well, at least the stars look the same...” 

“Yeah,” Gladion responded as he looked toward the sky. But it was only for a moment as he turned to see a glimpse of tears streaming down Luma’s face as her smile dwindled to a minuscule frown. Humming harshly as he would usually do, Gladion reached his hand over to the tears on one side of Luma’s face and wiped them, causing the girl to turn and have a look of apprehension on her face. 

“Wh-What are you doing?” 

“What does it look like. You probably didn’t intend on wiping them.” 

“I was. I just didn’t know tears were coming down on my face is all. That and it’s late. Like, really late. Like if a Cutiefly were to land on my head, there wouldn’t really be a need to think twice about it.” 

“Excuses will get you nowhere.”

“True, but you would act the same way if not worse,” Luma shrugged as she wiped the rest of the tears from her face. However, she tried to make herself sound as she was acting like normal, but she sounded fatigued; the lack of stress fogging her mind. She continued with a sigh and slightly hesitated before placing a hand on Gladion’s shoulder with her head held down. 

“Well… Thanks. It must’ve been quite a bother with all that’s going on. And for that, I’m sorry.” 

“You don’t need to apologize. It’s my fault you were dragged in this mess.” 

“You weren’t the one who opened the Ultra Wormholes with Nebby, nor were you the one who unleashed the Ultra Beasts all over the region or threw yourself into one of those Ultra Wormholes to be with said beasts. Besides, taking fault never fixes what happens in the past.” Gladion agreed with a nod and a smirk before Luma apologizes softly and leans onto the blonde’s shoulder, gaining a jump and a slight gasp from him. Gladion turned to see Luma slowly closing her eyes but still trying to assure him that none of what happened was his fault. His nor Lillie’s. 

“You guys shouldn’t blame yourselves… All we could do… Is-Is save Lusamine…” 

“Wh- hey. I’m not carrying you again.” 

“Too Laa….” After drifting off, Luma proceeded to fall asleep leaning on Gladion’s side to his chagrin as he groaned softly in a fit of annoyance. But after a minute or so, Gladion grew accustomed to the person by his side until deciding to carry the girl back to her room in the residential quarters. After laying Luma back in her bed, Gladion had thought back on what Luma told him; about the death of her father, the traveler. It was one kind of loss that Gladion couldn’t bare to forget even if he tried when his mother sat on a chair, her head held by her hands as she sobbed silently. He remembered repeatedly asking many questions about their father until Lusamine had snapped on them, letting the truth of the matter out in the open. Lillie had run sobbing as Lusamine ran after her. Gladion however was shaking his head denying this thinking that it was just a twisted lie that his mother made up. 

“Maybe we aren’t so different after all…” Gladion thought aloud under his breath as he walked outside the female residential quarters and back to the male’s. He grew a little bit more curious about the name of this traveler but shook it off as weariness grew to take over his mind. 

The next day 

“Hey, Lillie! You doing okay?” Luma knocked at the door to Lusamine’s bedroom expecting for the girl to answer the door. But there was no reply. Luma tilted her head and just opened the door and proceeded into the room. 

“Lillie?” she answered only for the room, including the bed, to be empty. She tilted her head to the other direction and looked to the empty bed as she wondered where the girl had run off to. But she would find out soon enough as Wicke walked in with the same confused expression on her face. But her face wasn’t directed to Lillie’s absence, but rather toward Luma. 

“Luma?” she called, having the girl turn away from the bed and answered, “Oh, morning Wicke. Where did Lillie go?” 

“Miss Lillie is waiting outside… if you’re ready to meet her.” 

“Cool, thanks.” Luma ran outside of the mansion and felt a soft breeze come to her direction as she looked up at the sky. However, she looked to her right to see Lillie who had on a different outfit than the last one she wore. She looked like a Pokémon trainer.


	26. New Clothes, New Name, New Destination

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hey everyone! Guess what's back! Back again! With hopefully more chapters! haha! But seriously though most of you are probably in the dark if you hadn't seen any of my Tumblr updates ranging from my 3DS screen cracking to people losing my SD card, so I kind of had to go on hiatus because of that and planning for Lonashipping week, performances, and planning for Volume 3. But until then, enjoy the show, and its good to be back.

Lillie came looking true to a Pokémon Trainer. She was dressed in a much sportier outfit than her last one with a short-sleeved sailor get up, slip on exercise shoes, and a pink backpack. Her hair was even put up in a high ponytail being held up by what looks to be a braid of her own hair. Luma couldn’t help but be speechless of her new outfit with her jaw dropped. 

“I picked these clothes up in Malie… Do you think they suit me?” Lillie asked in a tone that seemed to contrast more confident get up. However, Luma’s mind was in a more jumbled mess as she was processing such a change. But with what she and Gladion were going through, she felt overwhelmed with joy as she had a grin and replied with thumbs up exclaiming, “Sure do, Lillie. You look like a real Pokémon Trainer.”

During a fit of silence and an exchange of looks, Lillie smiled and placed her hands on the straps of her backpack saying, “Oh Luma… Thank you! I feel like there’s so much I have to do now… to save Nebby… to save my mother…” 

“How so?” Luma inquired playing dumb but wanted Lillie to declare it for herself and she walked toward Luma with a boost of confidence. 

“Well… I- I want to be like you, Luma. I want to be strong enough to face any trial. That’s why I’m going to try my hardest! This is my Z-Powered form!” 

After her rise of confidence, Lillie had started initiating the Normalium Z-Move Dance that any trainer would perform despite the bit of uncoordinated movement. But Luma didn’t want to ruin her moment. She wanted her to be strong. To have enough confidence for whatever may come her way. Even after placing her arms in the form of a ‘Z’, Lillie and Luma shared a laugh together as though they were talking in a café. 

“I’m glad to see you’re doing well, Lillie.” 

“Same to you, Luma.” 

The two girls turn as they hear Gladion’s footsteps approaching them from several feet away as if he were looking for the two. 

“So this is where you were. I found this downstairs. Thought you would need it,” he said as he handed Lillie a golden orange flute with a sun emblem on the side with various orange engravings. 

“It’s the Sun Flute. It’s apparently an artifact from Alola’s past. They say it’s to be played under the sun’s light. The Sun Flute and the Moon Flute. When sounded together, it’s said that they can call the Legendary Pokémon. That is, if you believe in old myths, anyway.” 

“So then we would be missing the Moon Flute. But why a pair of flutes?” Luma asked Gladion, only for Lillie to explain from the reading she received from Acerola. About the pair of flutes. 

“There was something I read in the library when you and Hau were doing your trials. That both flutes lead to the Legendary Pokémon. So, if we can find Lunala, then maybe it can help Nebby somehow…” 

“You seem sure about Nebby and Lunala being connected somehow.” 

“There was something in the line that was in my mind. A fragile heir in Alola born that the island guardians would keep from strife.” 

“Then that would explain why Nebby was going to the ruins in each island. Do you think Nebby was looking for Lunala?” 

“Whatever the case, take this with you. It can catch any Pokémon without any fail,” Gladion had a Master Ball in his hands and extended it over to Luma, who took it from his palm and nodded, placing the Master Ball in her bag. 

“Guess it’s not every day we're going to be catching a Legendary Pokémon, so might as well make it a time to remember.” 

“Hmph. If it’s real…” 

“Well, we won’t know if we don’t try.” Shrugging off the smile Luma had flashed to his direction, Gladion turned toward his sister and appeal to her saying, “I’m counting on you to save my family now. This is the least I can do.” 

“But… What are you going to do, Gladion?” Lillie asked, albeit in an uneasy tone. Gladion turned back to the direction of the manor and went on. 

“Deal with this mess. I’ve got to clean up Aether Paradise. All I wanted was to be able to protect everybody, together with Null… Maybe I couldn’t do that, but I’ll make sure that this place at least stays safe. The foundation that our mother loved…” 

“Gladion…” Lillie muttered, her words toward her older brother a blur as she turned toward Luma and hoped she would say something to him. As if Luma had interpreted her thoughts, Luma responded with a smile and a quick nod. “Okay. Then we can leave Aether’s recovery to you. And Wicke too.” 

“Luma! and Lillie isn’t it?!” We heard Hau running and waving toward us as he approached where we stood. He seemed chipper this morning, even with all that’s happened from yesterday. Truly both he and Lillie did not want to twiddle their thumbs as Lusamine and Guzma were in some kind of unknown world. 

“What happened to you?!” 

“Hau…” Luma mumbled only to be interrupted by Lillie with a cheerful reply. 

“Yes, it’s me! Now I’m ready to use my full force, too!” 

 

Luma’s POV 

“You look fantastic! With your resolve and Luma’s Power, you two can take on anything! You’re all… amazing!” 

Hau… Jeez, you’re sweet, I can’t even bring myself to say anything… 

“What was that?” Oh that tone from Gladion, though. He almost sounds… a little jealous. Maybe it’s because that compliment was also towards Lillie. Still, Gladion jealous? It isn’t hard to picture with his temper, ha-ha. 

“That’s it! I’ve decided!” 

“What?” Gladion replied, allowing Hau to continue. 

“I keep getting saved by Luma and my partner Raichu, right? If I keep being like this and I don’t change, then I’m gonna get left behind by you all.” 

Wait, so does this mean… 

“You’re not gonna join us, Hau?” I asked him as he placed both of his hands behind his head continuing on. 

“I really wanted to save Lillie and Cosmog! When my partner and I both felt that way and we were in sync, we were so much stronger… That’s how it felt to me. So… I’m gonna try to chase that feeling down again, together with Raichu and my team! I’m going to train even harder so that this time, I can return the favor to you, Luma. If I can’t do that, then I’ll never be an Island Kahuna! I’ll never be able to make people really smile!” 

Repay the favor, huh? Well said, Hau. If that’s what you really want, I won’t stop you. Just be careful on your journey. I balled up my fist and held it straight in front of me and decided to make a promise to my best friend. 

“When we come back, let’s have another battle. But until then, let’s hop to it, Hau.” 

“Hehe! Sounds good to me,” Hau responded placing his own fist against mine, making the next battle we’d have finite as we flashed a smile toward one another. 

“So our family drama ended up changing the kind of trainer you wanted to be… Sorry for getting the both of you dragged into our mess.”   
“Gladion did you forget what I said? You and Lillie shouldn't blame yourselves for what happened. All we can do is save everyone.” 

“Yeah, Luma’s right! Sure, you might’ve been part of it… but in the end, the only one who’s gonna make me change is me. Besides, we got to see things that almost no one would ever get the chance to see!” Hau agreed. But even with our replies, he still hanged his head low. He really is guilty. For all of this. 

“Yeah. Our mother does like to do things on an… extravagant scale. She’s always convinced that what she’s doing is right, and she’s really kind of selfish, but… I think she really just wanted to find our father…” I didn’t really know what else to do but to walk towards him and raise my fist in front of him. Watching as his gaze follows up from the ground to my balled-up hand, then from my arm to my eyes. 

“As I said before when we come back, let’s have another battle. One that we can both be proud of.” 

“Luma… Hmph. Sure.” 

We heard some giggling from the side and saw Lillie and Hau laughing toward one another, along with small whispers filling the air as we turned our heads to the chirping Delibirds. 

“Do you guys have something to share or something? Hau what are you telling her?” I asked, but it only caused them to look at us funny. 

“Oh, it’s nothing. Just telling Lillie about some of my… favorite ships.” 

“Hau…” 

“Tch!” Nicely put Edgelord. 

“Thank you for your kind words. I’m happy you both feel that way. I’m glad that you’re willing to stay by my side all this time,” Lillie cheered as she turned to Hau, along with Hau smiling at Lillie. Even with this nice scene playing out, I couldn’t help but feel that bit of jealously nearby. As I was about to say something to Gladion, he beat me straight to the punch by changing the subject. 

“I can get you to the next island at least. Poni Island. I’ll wait for you at the docks.” 

“Come on, Luma! Let's show the world what we can really do!” Lillie shouted as the three of us strolled for the docks below. Hau, on the other hand, pulled out his pager and waited for his ride shouting, “I’m gonna train up myself and my team real good before I see you again, Luma! Be ready for a shock of a lifetime!” 

“Looking forward to it!” 

By the time we took the elevator, we heard a nearby roar of a Charizard that sounded as though it had passed by in a wink. By the time we reached the docks, the sounds of the ocean were all that were echoing as we got on to the same boat we got here from; that same jet black boat with the Team Skull logo on its’ sides. 

“Ready to go?” 

“Let’s do this,” I responded to Gladion and awaited a response from him or Lillie, who both stood atop the boat. 

“Alright.” 

“Let’s go, Luma! No holding back!” Lillie shouted as we boarded from Aether Paradise and on toward the next island. The sea and the wind… If this were any other day I would’ve just relaxed and enjoyed this ride as I usually would. But the only thing that swam in my mind was the safety of those trapped in that distant world. Even with all the stuff that Lusamine and Guzma did, no one deserves to be left behind. I wonder when I started to think like this? Think I’d be more selfish. 

“Are you doing okay, Luma?” 

“Huh? Oh, hey Lillie. Yeah, I’m doing just fine.” 

“That’s good to hear. Wicke told me you fainted after that battle and I got a bit worried. That and I noticed you have a cut on your head.” 

“Oh, right I forgot about this... But how did you know I got hurt?” 

“Gladion told me. What you did to get him on your side to save me and Nebby.” 

“He told you all that?” She nodded as she turned to the cockpit where Gladion was steering the boat. But she looked a little… forlorn. 

“I should be asking you. How do you feel, Lillie?” 

“Oh… I feel great!” 

I’m not so sure about that… 

“Well, that’s not completely true. To be honest, this is kind of awkward.” 

“Awkward? How come?” 

“Well… It’s Gladion. Before yesterday, I thought he didn’t make it. I feared the worse for him and the Type: Null he brought alongside him. There are so many things I want to say to him. But I can’t because I don’t even know if he’s the same person or not. Judging from how mother changed, he must have as well from all those months being alone.” 

That maybe things have changed, but… I mean… Who am I kidding? The last I saw of my brother was when mom and I left for Alola on the ferry. Even when we left on somewhat good terms. I kept forgetting that those two are brother and sister hoping to save their mother from the past. What do I even say to something like that? 

“I feel so lost to what I can say to him.” 

“Speaking of, let’s head into the cockpit and see how he’s doing. I’m sure if he sees you, then maybe we can spark up a conversation.”   
The two of us walked on over and greeted Gladion much to his surprise. Lillie seemed nervous to talk to her brother, and for the first couple of minutes, it was dead silent except for the waves outside. The atmosphere really was dead silent. Guess I’ll get the ball rolling. 

“Hey, Gladion?” 

“What is it?” 

“I wasn’t so sure if I was just seeing things, but did Null evolve? Its’ mask was off, so I was curious.” 

He nodded, but it made me wondered how it evolved. But much to clenching my curiosity…

“It evolved with that light that came from your bracelet. When it appeared the control, the mask started cracking.” 

My bracelet, huh. Seriously it always jumps back to it. It started my journey and now it’s setting things into motion. Even now I feel like I’m being whisked away onto my path like a raging river. 

“Then… is it Type: Full?” 

He shook his head as though he disagreed with the name. That would make sense, but their still one in the same. 

“Type: Full died when it lost control of itself. So, in turn, it deserves a new name. One that will do this new evolution justice.” 

“What about Silvally?” 

Silvally? That’s a little odd… But if you think about it, it can be much like katakana or kanji. 

“Guess you can say that its’ evolved when you’ve gained its trust. Hence it’s now an ally in and out of battle.” 

“And the ‘Sil’ part?” 

“Because of its fur. The style of it reminds me of a knight.” 

It sounds nice. Wonder what Gladion thinks about it. He’s been quiet all this time.

“Silvally… It may be strange at first, but that’s just how it is, isn’t it? After a while, I think I could get used to it.” 

“Then it’s settled, Type: Null had evolved into Silvally! Oh! Look outside!” 

I ran out of the cramped space to look at the island in front of us. Poni Island; Our next destination.


	27. The 'Ghost' of her Past

Gladion’s POV 

Poni Island... as soon as I drop these two off, then I'll go back and clean Aether's mess and leave Lillie be. The three of us got off the boat and walked onto the boardwalk.

"Poni Island... almost no one lives on it, but you'll find a whole lot of nature to explore here..."

I turned towards them, trying to avoid eye contact away from the two. Lillie obviously since I can't look her in the eye for abandoning her, and I can't allow Luma to look at me in the eye since I know she can easily read my emotions like a book. Hell, she may just already know something's up. So the only thing to do is walk towards the boat and inform them what to do next before I go back.

"Go. Find the Kahuna. The Kahuna of Poni Island also protects the shrine where Alola's people worship the Legendary Pokémon... maybe they will know something that might help you... now go..."

I heard a set of footsteps walk on ahead and stop after a couple of steps. From the clicking sound, I assumed it was Luma. But it felt as though she stopped and pivoted around. I was kind of hoping she would stop me. Allowing me to at least speak to Lillie before I go. But it didn’t seem like it was going to happen. So before I exited back into the boat, I gave them my farewells and watched as the two walked on ahead toward the village, leaving me and an incoming message from Wicke as I left for Aether Paradise. 

Luma’s POV 

“Lillie, are you sure about that? Not to say goodbye or anything…”   
“Luma… I’m okay. You don’t have to worry. I know what I have to do now.” 

“But…” I think he took a little bit to get going than usual. Maybe he was expecting me to stop him. 

“And…” 

“And?” 

“I don’t know. Maybe it sounds strange, but… I’m kind of excited.” 

Is she… Changing the subject altogether? Okay, something really is up. Maybe once we have all of this settled, hopefully, they’ll start talking to one another. But before we get going, might as well check out what this island has to offer. 

“Luma! Look over here!” Guess she’s really getting along with that couple’s Pokemon. Hehe, at the very least she’s enjoying herself. 

“Welcome!” 

“What in the?” The only thing the two of us can do from that sudden welcome was turn to the direction of the yelling only to see a woman standing atop of one of the floating structures with little to no difficulty at all. But the way that she stood confidently and jumped off from the boat clumsily is what really caught our eye, and not in an effective way. 

“Oh, my goodness!” Lillie shouted as the woman got up from the ground and dusted herself off, now taking a stroll towards Lillie and me. 

“Hehe, guess I messed that one up. Might have to be careful next time.” 

“I-I’m sorry. Who are you?” Lillie asked the individual. This woman looked like she had a bunch of paint on her face. Is she an artist perhaps? She kind of smells like acrylic paint. But one thing that really got my attention was the flowery emblem around her finger. No way…   
“You’re a Trial Captain,” I exclaimed pointing at the ring on her finger. She simply smiled and gazed at the golden ring on her finger before placing her dazed gaze towards us. 

“Yep. I’m Mina. I’m the local captain.” 

“Captain… Mina? It’s nice to meet you then…” 

So I guess after we have things settled around here, I’ll be doing her trial next. Wonder what she’ll have? Hopefully not any jump scaring Mimikyus. 

“So let’s get right down to things. Which one of you is here for my trial?” 

“Oh! No, that’s not why we’re here! I mean, you’re not entirely wrong. It’s true that Luma is in the middle of her island challenge, but…” 

“We’re here to meet the kahuna of this island. Do you know where we might find them?” 

“The Kahuna?” that silence was short but unsettling before she told us to go to Hapu, who we just found out lived here on Poni Island. But why Hapu? Does she know what happened to the Kahuna? 

“Can you tell us where we can find her?” 

“I don’t know if she’s there, but her house is at Ancient Poni Path. If you do pass the wilds to your right, you should hit the path right away.” 

“Then let’s go. It would be nice to see Hapu and Mudsdale again!”   
“Yeah. Will you be okay though, Lillie? Feels like there’s gonna be some Pokemon battles we can’t avoid.”

“I’ll be fine. I have a lot of Max Repels with me! And I’ve got you, too…” 

“Good to hear. Then let’s get going.” 

It may have taken a couple scrapes and battles, and maybe even a couple trips back toward the Pokemon Center. Heck, Lillie even dug through some berries and had quite an encounter with a Crabrawler before my team and I took them down, but we finally reached the Ancient Poni Path. There, we were met with Mudsdale who stood in front of the porch.

“It’s good to see you again, Mudsdale! You look to be in fine form. Pokemon Trainers really do amaze me,” Lillie spoke to me turning from Mudsdale to me. Now that I’ve thought about it, my Pokemon and I were going nonstop since all the crud on Ula’ Ula and Aether Paradise. I really do feel like my Pokemon have done so much for me. And it isn’t just them either. 

“I wish I could do more for my Pokemon. Like for wild Pokemon battles, maybe I can fend for myself and battle alongside them!” 

“Luma, they battle for you because they have so much trust in you. they see you as someone they cannot lose. They see you as a friend. I mean I may have never battled, but seeing you and Hau striving to be the best. The expressions on your Pokemon’s faces… I can tell that they’re happy. It seems like a hard path to walk, and even so, you don’t let yourself be held back by the fear of seeing your Pokemon friends get hurt… you just keep striving forward together… You made me see that.”

“Lillie…” 

“Oh! Been a while, Luma. And you brought Lillie along, too?” 

Hapu? Guess she really does live on this island after all. 

“Yes, it’s good to see you, Hapu!” 

“You look different… like you’re ready to go all out in something now.” 

“Thank you, Hapu. I’ve finally discovered what I need to do. So this is my Z-Powered form!” 

“Ho! Then you do your best, Lillie. No one could call you lily-livered!” 

L-Lily-livered. Well, that’s a good thing. I’m proud of the person Lillie’s becoming, but we might need to get back in the matter at hand. But luckily, she’s quick to get back on track just as I was going to open my mouth. 

“Um, so, Hapu… do you know where we can find the Kahuna?” 

“The Kahuna? Hrmm. Don’t have one here on Poni.”

“What?!” 

“Seriously? But… Huh?” 

“Now what do we do, Luma…?” 

We can try to scout the island via Charizard… But I don’t even know how big this island is… Heck, this is the first time I’ve been on this island. I should’ve asked Gladion more about this. Even looking at the map Rotom has, it only tracks what places we got to. 

“Well, do not be distressed, I wouldn’t say that I know nothing of this.” 

“Huh?” She sounds like she’s got something up her sleeve. 

“All right. Let us all proceed to the ruins. You stick with me, you two.” 

“Got it. Lead the way. We just have to keep striving forward, right?” Felt a small sense of déjà vu from that. But that’s probably just from repeating what Lillie said. Even so, it looked like it made Lillie happy. 

“Right! But then again, you are a trainer, aren’t you? I suppose you always keep moving forward!” 

“Wait right there.” 

A voice? It wasn’t Hapu because she just left. But then… who? 

“Eek!” 

“Lillie? Gaah!” A woman?! But… whew, she got us. But what does she want from us? 

“Ho ho ho! I don’t mean to scare you, dears. I’m Hapu’s old gran. Are you two friends with my girl?” 

“Y-Yeah. We fended off a couple punks from Team Skull back in Akala Island and had a couple encounters ever since then. But how did you guess?” 

“Luma, hasn’t anyone told you to respect your elders?” Lillie? That’s… a little complicated. Lack of contact with grandparents could add a bit, but… Oh jeez, I feel like my brain’s going to scramble. 

“Ho ho ho! Teasing an old woman, I see? Well, it’s quite alright. You do look to be the sort who’s been through a couple of scrapes here and there. But now look at the two of you. Traveling around the islands… making new friends… you kids are luckier than you know.” 

Yeah… Real lucky. But man, you really got to say something like that? I can’t keep telling everyone what happened to dad. 

 

Lillie’s POV 

I wonder what she means by that. After looking at Luma like that. Is there something that Luma hasn’t told anyone?   
“If you want to head for the Poni Island ruins, how about a bit of help from this old gran? Here. Hand over your Rider Pager a moment.” 

After handing her pager toward the old woman, Luma was suddenly hoisted up by a Machamp nearby, surprising the both of us. But looking at Luma… She seems to be the most surprised at the hands of the Machamp wrapped around her frame. Something she didn’t seem comfortable with. 

“Uh…” 

“You’ll need to move some big obstacles to make it down the path that you two hope to travel. Now go after my Hapu. She’s headed for the Ruins of Hope. First, you’ll come to Poni Breaker Coast. You’ll know it by the soil. It’s black as pitch. Go through there, and you’ll find the ruins. I wish you both a brilliant future.” 

“Thank you very much, ma’am! You have been a major help!” 

“Y-Yeah. Thank you very much. Now I just need to find my pager.” 

She proceeded to call off the Machamp who disappeared as fast as it appeared. We finally had a sense of where we were headed off to. The Ruins of Hope… That is where the guardian of Poni Island will be. That is where Tapu Fini lives. Going straight ahead, we took the path that the woman told us to go. We were met with Hapu’s Mudsdale who was parked just outside the entrance of the ruins. It looked like Luma hadn’t got here. Maybe she was met with a couple trainers on her way. I did kind of speed up without thinking. I sat myself down beside Mudsdale and thought to myself of all that had happened between mother and everyone. Including me. But I wonder… Will things be the same when all of this is over? Would I be able to talk to mother or Gladion again? It’s gotten difficult to even speak a word to him much less even say goodbye as he left. Am I… angry at him for not telling me what happened? Or was it because I thought he was gone. When I watched him run away from the manor toward the building itself. How mother and I followed him up toward the balcony and watching him dive into the night. Never seeing him again for two years.   
We never found him after that, so we assumed the worse. That he and the Pokemon he took with him had drowned. And now every time I look at him after seeing him in Aether Paradise. The way he walked down the aisle of that trophy room Luma and I walked on when mother told us to approach us, it was like looking at a ghost. Even the way he was. All those tears in his clothes, the way his hair looked as though it hadn’t been cut, and the look in his eyes. Even the atmosphere of that room where the Pokemon were sleeping in their frozen blocks. I have so many questions to ask him… But whether I would be able to convey them to him is all that matters, and whether we can go back to how things were.   
“Niii?” 

“Oh, Mudsdale… I don’t know what to do. I can’t keep avoiding this…” 

“Lillie!”

At that moment, I felt myself freeze up the way Luma ran down the spiral pathway alongside Rotom, who initiated the Roto-Loto and quickly returned to her bag. 

“There you are! Oh man, maybe I got a bit too distracted with those trainers. Thought I lost you.” 

“The Ruins of Hope… The air feels so oppressive… But if we go in there… Maybe Nebby will return to normal!” 

“I hope you’re right. If not hopefully it can lead to some kind of clue.” 

“The people believe that the guardian deity of these ruins, Tapu Fini, can wash away any impurities with its mystic water…” 

“Sounds promising. But do you think that’ll work?” 

"Oh, honestly Luma! I'm going to make sure that Nebby gets right back to normal, just to show you! And I’ll give it my all, too! So just you wait, Nebby! This time, I’m going to be the one who saves you!” 

 

Luma’s POV 

Woah, she sounded a little angry there. What happened while I was gone? 

“Come on, Luma! Let’s go!” 

“Uh. Right behind you!” 

The Two of us headed straight toward the ruins and solved what looked to be a puzzle thanks to Machamp. But even then, I knew why Lillie was in such a rush as she seemingly sprinted toward the entrance of the main ruins after I shoved the cubed rocks into the holes that laid in front of them. 

“Lillie, Slow down! What’s the matter?” 

“Huh?” 

“You just… whew… you kind of rushed in so suddenly…” 

“I’ve read about them, you know… Alola’s sacred ruins… and the guardian deities worshipped within them. They go wherever they want, so it’s not easy to meet them… according to the books I’ve read. But if they are summoned here at the ruins, they do sometimes appear.” 

Is she changing the subject again? This is odd, even for Lillie. I know she’s determined to save Nebby, but…

“The books say that they are, well, capricious. Encounters with them do not always end as you hope they will. Maybe that explains why… Even coming here to these ruins hasn’t evoked any response from Nebby.” 

“Lillie… Please… I want to ask you-“ 

 

Narrator POV

A shining light could be seen at an entrance that led deeper into the ruins. This caught the two girls off guard and caused them to run through the path of an altar. There, they saw the petite trainer holding something close to her chest and softly speaking to herself.

“I give my thanks... for your great blessing. As kahuna, I will do my best for the people... and the Pokémon of Alola."

“H-Hapu?” Both Lillie and Luma were baffled by what had just happened. How Hapu turned to the two girls with a confident air around her. 

“Oh! So you two were watching?” Hapu walked down the wooden steps away from the stone altar as she continued to speak. She spoke of how the Kahunas and how they were chosen by the Pokemon they worshipped in Alola. How they were chosen from among the people living on the island each guardian watched over. 

“Lillie told me that you’re pretty new to our parts, eh, Luma? Did you come to Alola from far off? You must really be something then. Even being given a sparkling stone by the tapu, even as a stranger to our shores.” 

“Yeah. But why do you say that?” 

Hapu then proceeded to sit by the stairs and asks the two girls to sit beside the petite girl. 

“My Grandfather… My Grandfather was also chosen for this honor. The honor of being our island’s kahuna. But he died suddenly some years back, and we were left without a kahuna on Poni… I tried to follow in his footsteps, but I was not chosen by the tapu back then. So I set out on my own sort of island challenge, traveling Alola and trying to grow stronger…” 

Pausing, she quickly got up confusing the two beside her and stood in front of them; hands on her hips and looking straight at the blonde with the fire in her eyes with a smile that beams with pride. 

“Lillie… The Kahuna you wished to meet is right here.” 

As they heard those words escape from Hapu’s mouth, both Lillie and Luma shot right up from the step and dropped their jaws from their heads. They were, to say the least, baffled at what they just heard. Lillie is the most excited the way she nearly stuttered in asking her question toward the newly crowned Kahuna. 

“O-Oh! Of course! Then please, Kahuna Hapu! Tell me about the Legendary Pokemon!” 

“So you wanna know about Lunala, who we pay tribute to at the Altar of the Moone?” 

“I must go after my mother! She disappeared off into some far off world… The Ultra Beast’s World. I know that she was a terrible person, but she is still my mother. I need to see her. To tell her something…” Pausing for a quick breath, Lillie faced her gaze to the ground and jumped when she felt Luma patting her back; a universal way of telling them that she was doing a respectable job and to relax a bit. Lillie nodded and looked back up toward Hapu with the same fire in her eyes. 

“That’s why I want to ask the Legendary Pokemon for its help… The Legendary Pokemon is the only one who can go back and forth between worlds!”


	28. The Moon Flute

Narrator POV 

The info that Hapu had provided on Lunala wasn’t much, but the information that she provided proved to be fruitful. She told the two about a ceremony held for Lunala at the altar. A ceremony that would give Lunala power with the use of the Sun and Moon Flutes. Lillie showed Hapu the Sun Flute that she obtained from Gladion, sparking familiarity to another flute that was spotted in a nearby uninhabited island off the coast of Poni; Exeggutor Island. 

As the three were walking back to Captain Mina at Seafolk Village, Hapu mentioned something about the rapid appearances of Ultra Beasts all around Alola thanks to the Ultra Wormholes opening in various areas, or holes in the sky as Hapu’s Grandfather worded it; something that the two were aware and were doing their best to avoid. Including the oncoming clouds that came crashing slowly onto the region. It wasn’t anything too big just simple rain, but it was still best to avoid if neither of them wanted to catch a cold. 

“Thank you! And thank you, Mudsdale!” 

“That’s what friends do.” 

“F-friends…? An amazing trainer like Hapu considers me… a friend?” Luma placed her hand on Lillie’s shoulder and nodded to her friend happily before backing away one step. Lillie smiled toward everyone and placed her hands on the straps of her backpack, bopping her head toward Hapu and smiling. 

“I am so glad I got to meet you, Hapu!” 

“To journey to Exeggutor Island, you should speak with Mina. She can help arrange a boat for you two. I shall be wishing for your safety. Especially with the rain coming our way. Wouldn’t want my friends getting hurt,” Hapu ensured as Mudsdale exclaimed cheerfully in concurrent with Hapu as she and Mudsdale walked back into the direction of the Ancient Poni Path. After watching Hapu be on her way, Mina was seen signaling the two to her asking aloud, “Hey! Did you find out anything useful?” 

Lillie had replied with a proud yes and exclaimed as she and Luma walked toward the Trial captain saying that Hapu was made into the new Kahuna, shocking Mina immensely as her eyes were dilated to the size of Solrocks. 

“We’ve been having old man Nanu look after our grand trials up until now. Heh! Now we’ve got our own little Kahuna! That’s great!” 

“Nanu? How did he manage?” Luma asked with a hand to her chin. 

“I never really get the chance to see him, but Nanu is quite remarkable,” Lillie agreed. 

“He did help me out when I had to face the entirety of Team Skull in Po Town… And I know Hapu will do the same much like her grandfather, right?” 

“That’s right! And I’ll do my best for my mother’s sake. And for Nebby, as well. A-and so! There’s a place that we need to go.” 

“Mina. Is there a way we can get to Exeggutor Island? We need to obtain a flute that resides there.” 

“Exeggutor Island? Well, in that case, we’d better get the chief!” Mina declared with hands on her hips, only to be met with a large howl veiling the air. 

“Did you call me?!” he exclaimed as he stood alongside a flying Pelipper atop of a floating restaurant beside the docks, baffling Lillie and Luma, but not surprising Mina who giggled at their gaped mouths as he jumped onto the docks. 

“Oh my goodness!” 

“Why do people just stand on and jump off buildings?!” Luma exclaimed as the captain strolled his way toward the group of three. 

“Ahoy there! I’m the chief of the Seafolk. I couldn’t help overhearing what you said. So why don’t I get you to Exeggutor Island?” 

“Oh, thank you!” Lillie thanked. 

“Hold up, little lady. It’s Luma who will go on this trip. She is a trainer, after all, and Exeggutor Island is a pretty crazy place,” Mina exclaimed with a finger to the sky. 

“Ha, that’s true! There are some crazy critters on that island! It’s one thing for a trainer to go, but if you're not a trainer, you should just trust your friend to take care of this task for you,” The chief warned, leaving Lillie a little forlorn from this development. All the fire in her eyes slowly flickering out. 

“But… Luma…” Luma looked carefully at Lillie and kept thinking to herself. Would it be alright to bring Lillie along if Exeggutor Island was as they described? 

 

Luma’s POV 

Exeggutor Island does sound wild. I’ve never been there in my life, but something tells me that Lillie will be safe here. Honestly… I don’t want her to get hurt… I’ve already caused her enough trouble. 

“I’ve got this! You just wait here! I’ll be back with the flute before you know it.” 

“You’re… You’re right. I’m sure you and Prim can handle it better than anyone else could. I’ll wait here for you to come back!” 

“Alright.” 

“And while we’re waiting for Luma… I’ll make you model for a picture, Lillie!” Mina recommended as both the Captain and I got ready for our ride to the island as we hopped onto the Magikarp shaped vessel. Several thoughts crossed my mind as the waves crashed onto the boat. It may have been best to bring Lillie along considering this was something she wanted to see this through from beginning to end. Even those little outbursts. They reminded me of myself back in Kanto. Always keeping my mouth shut but when I felt the need to let it go, I let it go. 

“Here we are at Exeggutor Island!” 

“Woah? Already? That was fast.” 

“I heard that this place used to be a trial site, though that was a long time ago now. Even looks like the fellows are more worked up than usual with all this rain. But they're always noisy so it's probably fine. Now go on ahead. Good luck!” 

“Will do. Thanks for the ride.” 

“No need to thank me until we get back to the village, lass!” 

Running, I headed on forward toward the Exeggutor. Or what I assumed to be the Exeggutor. Are They Exeggutor? 

“Kzzzzzrt! If you really wanna know, these are Alolan Exeggutor! They grow pretty long compared to thozzzzze you might see in Kanto, Roto-L,” Rotom exclaimed as they escaped from my bag and hovered around me. That would make sense with the exposure of the sunlight. And with this rain, it all makes sense. But man they look ridiculous… Especially with the little faces on their tails. 

“Uhh… Luma. You might want to back away from them… They’re acting kind of odd…” 

“D-Do they normally act like this when someone approaches them?” 

“Not like this. Kzzzrt! Get ready!” 

“Got it! But what are they packing?” 

“Pinsirs!” 

“Uhh, I meant the typing-“ 

“Kzzzzap! No! Pinsirs!” 

“Huh?!” I was able to jump out of the way just in time before the Pinsir could get the first hit on us. After doing so, I took out Cano’s Pokeball and brought him out in the rain. There, he stood ready to go and brushed off the rain from his coat. 

“You ready for this, pal? You’re not going to let a little rain stop you, right?” Cano nodded and readied a Flamethrower in his mouth. Concurring, I pointed toward the Pinsir, nearly setting it aflame. Uhhh… I hope it was just medium well… Well done? Oh boy, Cano… 

“Uhh, we may have gotten a little too far, bud. But it’s cool. Let’s get going. Looks like we may have our work cut out for us…” Cano cuddled up against my cheek with a low growl allowing me to pet his head and going on forward hoping for fewer attacks. But there was something up with these Pokemon… They seem on edge. Maybe I can see what I can do. 

“Sorry, Lillie. It may be a bit before I can get that flute… C’mon Cano! I’ll bring Vivo along with us, too!” 

“Ruff!” 

Alright, the plan is simple. I’ll have Vivo take the one on the right and Cano will take on the left. Guess I’ll be the one to handle commands and tell them what to do. But I’ll need to think quickly on how to handle this. It won’t be easy but it’ll be quick and painless. But we’ll need to expose them. Maybe that should be where I come in. Just need to find some rocks or whatever… Maybe even some bait… Pokebeans worked last time on that Bewear… But it looks like that these Exeggutor are shaking them off pretty well… almost like their… Oh, crud they’re flying right at us! 

“Okay, here we go! Vivo Acrobatics! Attack from above! Cano, keep at it with agility and attack with Flamethrower with every chance you got! The most important thing is that you all get out of here without a scratch! I’m counting on you!” I hope they’ll be alright. The only thing I can do is watch from the distance and hope for the best. I feel like a tactician in a story. How he fends for his country along with its’ prince and princess. Even though the treacherous battles they went through, they always had such a close bond. The tactician even talked about invisible ties that bound them and their army together. That they weren’t pawns of some scripted fate. That they were much more… I’d like to think that a bond between a trainer and their Pokemon is much like that. That there’s something tying us together. Even now… They know of my selfish deeds for others. It’s a little deep for someone my age to understand, but it’s nice to know. Even as they run toward me wishing for praise, seeing the smiles of the rest of the Exeggutor calmly swaying with the wind… That bit of selfishness makes it worthwhile. 

“Alright! Nice job everyone!” I shout as I gave both my Arcanine and Vikavolt Pokebeans and healing any injuries thanks to a sparing amount of Potions. After I tended to my Pokemon, we looked up to see that the Exeggutor that Cano was just battling had run toward what looked to be a steep climb up toward what looked to be a shrine just at the top. Cano and Vivo were able to get up easily, but as for me… It took a bit to climb before I fell flat onto the moist patch of grass. It wasn’t until after the second time that the Exeggutor from earlier caught me and hoisted me onto the top. There, we stood a few feet away from a shrine; but upon closer inspection, the shrine looked more to be an old pedestal that held a pale blue flute with a moon symbol near the mouthpiece. There was no doubt in my mind… this was the Moon Flute we needed. I stared intently at the flute before slowly reaching out for it, and taking it off of its’ pedestal. This flute… This flute is what can save our home… Our families… and the future of it all… 

“Jrrr… jrrrr…” 

“Wh-What was that?” 

That noise… I know those chirps from anywhere… But where? Even Cano and Vivo are getting anxious… and the Exeggutor too. Even my thinkings starting to warp as another one of the Ultra Beasts from before had floated from behind the pedestal. They’ve always been the same ones; the ones that bore a striking resemblance to a little girl. The way it would chirp and seem innocent. It makes me feel so uneasy… You’d think that ghost pokemon wearing rags would be scarier than these. But one thing I know is that it spells trouble every time it shows up. I don’t think I can battle this thing again since it can just warp on out when it feels threatened like it has before. Can we even defeat this thing so quickly? It can retreat for now… But with these portals opening up thanks to Lusamine they essentially have a one ways pass in this region. I can’t escape either if I want to risk the captain’s life. That’s not something I’m willing to take. Maybe if I caught it with one of my Pokeballs? Only one way to find out before it charges at me. 

“Vivo! Him them with a sneak attack!” Vivo obliged and was able to use dig and attack from behind, hitting its’ weak point. As for Cano, he was able to keep it still as I pulled out a vacant Ultra Ball from my bag; chucking it at the Ultra Beast and watching as it was absorbed into the Pokeball. But it didn’t even click once before setting it free. 

“No way. I knew it would struggle but-“ I was interrupted when Cano pushed me out of the way of the Ultra Beast who came full speed ahead, headbutting it and at the very least keeping it at a distance from us. But distance isn’t going to solve anything. It’s only going to buy us seconds of time before it can come after us again. 

“Jrrrrrr!” 

“Tch! Cano, Vivo! Return!” I took their Pokeballs and returned them into my bag, rolling down onto the ground as I took Prim’s Pokeball in my hand, only for one of its’ tentacles to ensnare my wrist, making me drop the Pokeball onto the ground and wince in pain before it can grab my other hand and entangle me into its’ tentacles. Ohh, now I really don’t like where this is going! And… I can’t move! It’s got my ankles too! I must… Break free! 

“I promised Lillie that I’d be back with the flute! Nng! So, I’m not letting some overgrown… jelly! Stop me from helping my friends! Now let go!!” I took a quick bite on one of its’ tentacles, letting me go at an instant and dropping me onto the ground and spitting at the ground to get the taste of Ultra Beast out of my mouth. But it’s strange… Isn’t it attacking? You’d think it would go straight for the neck after that. But seeing Silvally there… I thought I was hallucinating. I already deduced that this Ultra Beast was a poison type, so maybe I might’ve been poisoned or whatever. 

“Wh-What?” That’s all that really spilled from my mouth. That and my head started spinning. No way am I going to be knocked out, right? Nah… Maybe this is just nausea. Or the rain? Either way, I turned my attention away from the battle and toward my arm when I felt someone grip it and pulling me up. I turned to see not only the Captain but Gladion as well. 

“Okay, now I really am hallucinating.” 

“Maybe. Better than being taken to some other world.” 

“Heh. Was that sarcasm? On a better topic…” The flute, the flute. Is it still here? Please tell me it’s still here. Those thoughts swarmed as I stuffed my hand into the bag and felt the moon flute’s cold surface touch my skin. 

“Oh thank Arceus…” 

“Aye. You look like you’ve been through the reverse world.” 

“Captain, I’m fine-“ 

“Don’t be stubborn. We’ll head back to the village. Your friends back there must be worried about you.” 

“But I’m-“

I feel a glaring gaze coming in on my direction… Hopefully, it’s just my imagination. But I feel like it may be coming from the guy who’s holding me up. So, I just sighed and realized that I already got what I came here for. 

“Alright…” 

“Aye, you. carry the poor thing, will ya? She can barely walk.”

“No no no no, I’m fine. Really, I’m fine.” 

Ugh… Being carried by a Machamp was enough, but being carried by- 

“Woah!” 

“Just hold on tight…”

“Hey. I said I’m fine… Put me down. I don’t like being carried. Makes me feel like a sack of potatoes…” 

“Too bad. I don’t like this as much as you do. C’mon,” It’s kind of nice though… Gladion carrying me like this. But what’s he doing here anyway? I thought he was at Aether helping Wicke. 

“What are you doing here, anyway?” 

“Just cleaning up.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Wonder what will happen next? Either way, you'll have to wait not next week, but the week after. Why? Because I'll be out of town with family starting this Tuesday and I won't be back until the 13th. in other words, there won't be a new chapter, and for that, I'll try to compensate with letting out a small preview of what I have in store for the third volume on Tumblr. But until next time... 
> 
> Stay Tuned!


	29. Sentimental Rain

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Ohhhh I'm really sensing a pattern with these absences... But really though, I'm sorry for not being able to post a chapter last week because I was on vacation with family. But hopefully, nothing else will happen in the future aside from school, opera and stuff, but I am hoping to release more chapters here, so until then... enjoy the show.

Earlier that day

Gladion’s POV 

After saying goodbye to Luma and Lillie, I was already on my way back to Aether Paradise. But as I was arriving, I always figured that every employee in the structure would run amok trying to make sense of what had happened during yesterday’s debacle. Even expecting a few rumors to surface after mother and Guzma transported themselves into the Ultra Wormhole. But things looked different. Everyone was working as they did before yesterday happened. After getting off the boat, instead of being apprehended, I was greeted by construction workers and employees of the foundation as I passed through them and strolled toward the elevator. 

I was impressed by how so much changed after I left after all that has happened. Wicke must’ve been working since yesterday to gather volunteers and staff from the region to undo the damage done. As for the matter of the Ultra Beasts, aside from that fact that the Ultra Wormholes had closed after several of the beasts made their way from their original world into this one, I got word from one of the employees in the main entrance that precautionary measures were taken, and a team of Alolan Police Officers manned by Nanu and several Aether volunteers were sent to eight locations and had them blocked off from the public. There were even several trial sites that had to be moved thanks to their invasion. 

“Do you know where I may be able to find Wicke?” I asked one of the employees who then directed me to the secret labs in the lower floors after inquiring with them. There, Wicke stood speaking to the researchers and sent them on their way, baffled to be greeted by the employee who led me to her. 

“M-Master Gladion? What are you doing here?” 

“Figured you needed some help cleaning up here. But from the looks of things, everything seems to be fine…” 

“Well… I thought you would’ve stayed with the—” 

Wicke paused and seemed to be lost in thought as she turned her head away from me and slammed the bottom of her fist to her other hand. 

“Actually this is perfect timing. I need your help with something…” 

“And that’s…” 

“Come with me.” 

Wicke led me inside the secret labs and on toward one of the vacant rooms, taking a set of files off the shelves and laying them onto the table for the two of us to see. In the contents of the files were the locations of several Ultra Beasts in the region. There were even several hypotheses written in one of the pages. One of the locations catching my eye as I took the paper from the table and examined it thoroughly. One of the Ultra Beasts was spotted to roam near Poni Island. 

“They’ve been turning up a lot in Poni Island. Specifically, those white ones. For now, we’ll call them Nihilego. What’s more is that eyewitnesses have been seeing them floating in the Vast Poni Canyon.” 

So they’ve already made their move. Plus, that was the one that the mother wanted to add into her collection. So if they’re on Poni Island and surrounding the area around the Altar. Mother must’ve known that they would seek the help of the Legendary Pokemon to reach her. With it in tow, she must be hoping to ambush them to add not only the Ultra Beasts to her collection but Lunala as well. And with Lunala, she would be able to reach Solgaleo. As for what she would do with Lillie and Luma after she’s ripped Lunala out of their clutches… 

“Wicke. Why did you bring me here?” 

“I just need you to clean up that area for them. If they run into the Ultra Beasts, they won’t stand a chance without a Beast Killer like your Null. And even if Luma tries to catch one in one of her Pokeballs, it won’t work.”

In one of the Hypotheses, it does question whether a Pokeball would be capable of catching them. But… 

“I just got back here. You sure you don’t want my help anywhere here?” 

 

“We have most of everything in here taken care of. Besides, I know how you and Miss Lillie have been drifting apart and the first time you’ve seen one another in two years was in that trophy room of Lady Lusamine’s, but that still doesn’t excuse the fact that they will be in danger if they encounter them only because you didn’t want to speak to your sister.” 

Ugh, Wicke… The last time Lillie saw me was when I dove into the ocean... She probably thought I was dead. So seeing me then was probably more of a shock to her than confronting mother. 

“I’ll admit, I was shocked at first to know what you’ve done to escape. I thought the worst. But Luma mentioned you, I was… I was so happy to hear you were alive that I was practically bawling my eyes out. And I’m sure Lillie would’ve felt the same way when she saw you. Why don’t you talk to each other when you see her?”

“B- Wait a minute, I didn’t agree to go!” 

“You never said you disagreed. I’ll have a boat escort you to Poni Island.” 

“Wicke! Ugh… Never mind…” 

“I’ll be waiting for your safe return.” 

Thinking back as I watched the clouds gather, I never even said anything to Lillie after leaving her and Luma on Poni Island. She didn’t really say much to me either. I knew things were going to be awkward between us, but… 

“We’re just about to reach Poni Island, Master.” 

“Great… hmm?” Just as we were arriving near Seafolk Village, I look to the left and see an Ultra Beast floating away from the island. Going through the few notes I had taken on my phone from the lab, Wicke discovered the Moon Flute on Exeggutor Island. Judging from this rain and the rate that the Ultra Beast was going… Could they have already know that the Moon Flute was on Exeggutor Island? I know that Lillie was going to be safe since only Pokemon Trainers could get to the island, but Luma on the other hand… She must’ve gone after the Moon Flute. And if our Hypothesis of Pokeballs not working on Ultra Beasts is correct… 

“We have to go to Exeggutor Island.” 

“But we need someone from the Seafolk Village to get to Exeggutor Island-“ 

“We’re already off the deck as is, just follow that Ultra Beast! Quick!” 

“Y-Yes Sir!” 

 

Continuing much later… 

 

Narrator POV 

As they sailed toward Poni Island atop the Chief of the Seafolks boat, Gladion and Luma sat silently listening to the crashing of the waves. Luma wondered if Wicke had something to do with Gladion joining her and Lillie on their journey to the Altar of the Moone. But what would Lillie’s reaction be when she sees her brother? That was something that Luma also wondered. She knew things between her and Gladion were a little awkward considering she thought he had drowned to death in the ocean. 

“Can I ask you something?” Luma grabbed Gladion’s attention as she leaned into her seat with Gladion turning his head from the ‘nostalgic’ cloudy skies. He nodded with a small hum as she continued with her question. 

“At Aether Paradise. Was that the first time you saw Lillie, wasn’t it? She told me that- that she hadn’t seen you in two years. Is that right?” Gladion paused and thought quietly at that moment as Luma had continued despite her lips quivering from the toxin’s effects. 

“She… Wanted to say some things to you… She wanted to talk to you but… She couldn’t get the words out. I think… If the two of you just talked it out-“ 

“Once I drop you off, I’ll just be doing what I’m tasked to do. And that is taking out each of the Ultra Beasts located on this island,” Gladion interrupted, slightly startling the girl. Luma sighed and thought to herself, trying to keep her eyes open as the boat was docked and the cawing of the Chief’s Wingull signaled the two passengers off of the boat. 

“Can you stand?” 

“Hmm?” 

“Can you stand?” 

“…” 

Growing impatient from the lack of responses, Gladion had got up from his seat and looked at Luma dead in the eye, only to see she was going in and out of conscious. That impatience had turned to concern as Luma looked up at Gladion oblivious to his worry. 

“Did you say something?” 

“Tch! Here…” Gladion had pulled Luma up from her seat and hung her arm around his shoulders with little to no effort at all. Luma grumbled silently as she was hauled off of the boat and back onto the familiar docks of the Seafolk Village. There, Mina and Lillie had waited on the docks and were surprised to see the former Team Skull Enforcer carrying the girl from the boat. 

“Luma? Gladion?! Wh-what happened?” Lillie shouted as she watched the two walk towards her and Mina.

“There’s not much time to explain. For now, we need a place to stay for the night.” 

“No problem. My place is near here, just explained what happened,” Mina pointed toward a dark blue houseboat just a few feet away from the Magikarp shaped boat that the two departed from. 

“Can we get there first if that’s okay? I don’t like being carried around for much longer… no offense…” Luma grumbled before staying quiet once more as Gladion clicked his tongue and walked toward the boat with Lillie and Mina trailing behind. When they got there, they explained what happened with the Ultra Beasts and their attack against Luma. Despite this, she was able to obtain the Moon Flute from the island and getting one step closer to Lusamine. As for the appearance of the Ultra Beasts, Gladion explained that he was sent by Wicke to thin out the numbers of the Ultra Beasts despite not being able to catch them. At the very least, he and Silvally would be able to chase them out of the island without much trouble as the girls would run to the altar. Either way, they have no idea what to expect. 

As for Luma, it looked like the toxins from Nihilego were clearing out of her system. All that she needed was some rest for the night before they leave for the Vast Poni Canyon; their next destination. Luckily it didn’t seem like anything too serious since all she did was quickly bite one of the tentacles of the Ultra Beast in one fell swoop.

“Honestly, attacking it head on and just coming back with a small fever… Hearing it from you makes it sounds like you’re some kind of Pokemon,” Mina spoke to her as she doodled in a blank sheet of sketch paper of the Pokemon Trainer who laid on her couch with a blanket slightly draped over her as Gladion stood near the couch and Lillie sat on one of the chairs in front of the television. There was a heavy atmosphere in the air after Mina turned in for the night for another day of trials, leaving Luma and Gladion in the living room and Lillie to get some fresh air at the dock outside of the boat with the Sun Flute in her hand. 

“Can't sleep?” Gladion asked as Luma looked through the window of the door and wondering what was going through Lillie’s mind. 

“Can I tell you something? About you and Lillie-“ 

“Guess not-“ 

“Please listen to me. I know you’re avoiding each other and I don’t understand why. We’ll be traveling the rest of the way together anyway,” Luma turned toward Gladion and sat up from the couch, but quickly placed her hand on her head after a wave of nausea coursed through her body causing an exasperated sigh to escape from her mouth. 

“Please just talk this out. It may end badly, but there’s a chance that it can end well for the both of you. I mean you haven’t even given each other not even so much as a goodbye after you left for Aether after dropping us off.” 

“You wouldn’t understand… Ugh, this is why I didn’t want to come along. It was all Wicke’s idea in the first place…” 

“Then… I’m glad she did,” Luma got up slowly from the couch and stood in front of Gladion, grabbing his hand and leading him to the door much to his shock. 

“You might not believe it, but you’ve got a lot in common aside from looks. So why not just talk about what happened two years ago. Besides, you’re both going through the same thing. And what better way to get on the same page than talking this out.” 

“I…” 

“Just give it a try,” Luma opened the door and swept her hand toward the door where Lillie sat at the edge of the dock. 

 

Gladion’s POV 

Easy for her to say… At least she has a decent relationship with her own brother. One thing that really concerns me is what Lillie would say… I know she’s angry at me for abandoning her with Mother the way she was acting. But I couldn’t just let her do what she pleased with Null. And I guess Lillie felt the same way when she ran off with Cosmog. How could she not be mad the way I left two years ago? She must’ve been worried sick. But thinking won’t solve this predicament. Looking toward the left, I see Lillie sitting at the edge of the dock with Sun Flute in hand staring at the ocean. I took a deep breath, exhaled, and approached Lillie. But before I could take a seat beside her, she looked behind me with a melancholic expression on her face before turning her head back to the ocean. 

“H-Hi…” 

“…Hey,” I greeted her with a bit of uncertainty in my voice as I stood looking at the moon and rain clouds coming from above us. Even though she was right there beside me, I didn’t have anything else I could say aside from a hello. I knew this was going to be awkward. Luma didn’t need to rush this the way she did. 

“I think it might rain soon… Potentially tomorrow. So we should be careful when climbing the Vast Poni Canyon…” 

“Yeah… Especially with the Ultra Beasts swarming around the area.” 

Okay… So far, so good… Guess talking about the weather may help some way or another. But this exchange stopped dead on its’ tracks. I could’ve sworn I heard a small gulp coming from her after telling her of the Ultra Beasts, and even though I’m not looking at her in the eyes, I could tell just by being around her that she was scared, terrified even of confronting not just the Ultra Beasts, but being in their world. Furthermore, adding to the fact that her friend was almost taken by one of the Ultra Beasts potentially sent by our mother. 

“You know… Rain kind of reminds me of a movie I saw with mother. There were people that sang and danced in the rain. It looked so much fun that I decided to try it. But when mother saw me in the rain, she ran after me without so much as getting an umbrella… Even though we were both getting soaked in that downpour, she danced with me. And after that, she let me sleep with her in her bed when we got a cold from that day…” 

The same woman who would emotionally abuse us… controlled us… Molding us into her own perfected image… she really did all of that? The only time I could think of her doing such a thing would be… would be back when father was still here. Before he disappeared… I still remember the scar that one of her Pokemon gave me as I clenched my chest. 

“That felt like such a long time ago… That was just before Father disappeared. And when you… You… I…” 

Her voice is shaking… But I… I can’t quite tell what from… Is she angry? Is she sad? 

 

Lillie’s POV   
I… what can I even say? I’m scared to even look at Gladion in the eye. If I do, I feel like he’ll disappear again into the sea. That if I got close to him again… I’ll lose him again. I was crying for so long after Gladion dove into the sea. I watched carefully as Mother’s Bewear had nearly killed him with the swing of its’ fist. I cried for what felt like hours after that. I never wanted to get out of my room without Gladion walking alongside me for one of our mother’s many judgments. But I do remember mother practically pulling me out of my room as I wailed telling me to cease my wailing and that if I stayed in my room and did nothing but cry, I would be better off staying in my room for the rest of my miserable life much like a Pikipek in a cage. Or a Pokemon captured by Team Skull or Team Rocket. I was never able to cry again after that. She always knew when I would cry and splash me with a cup of water on my face telling me that I would get wrinkles earlier in my life. That if I kept my back hunched over, I would become an old woman before I knew it. And that if I did anything out of line or did anything that she didn’t consider beautiful, graceful, or ladylike, she would scold me repeatedly. And potentially raised her hand to me; threatening me. 

But despite all of that, I still hoped that the mother that I loved would return to dance with me in the rain just one more time, along with my big brother and loving father. But things can never be the same… I see that now. Things are different for our family. 

“Gladion… I was so worried. When I saw you plunge into the ocean outside of Aether Paradise. I couldn’t believe it. I thought you died. I thought I would never see you again after that day. But seeing you now… It’s like seeing a ghost from the past. A past that I wish we could come back to. When you took Null and left Aether Paradise two years ago…”

Tears welled up in my eyes. I felt the tears drop from my face and drip onto my lap and the golden flute in my hands. Even with these endless streams of tears falling onto my lap, for the first time in what seemed like forever, I was able to look at my older brother in the eyes and tell him just how I felt. 

“You left me alone with mother! She was so bad after you left! She did what she pleased with me and the Foundation! If… If Wicke wasn’t with me. Then I… Then I wouldn’t have gotten through this. When you… when I thought you died… I couldn’t bare with it! I was… So lonely.” 

He was surprised to see the look on my face. Before I knew it, he sat beside me and put his arm around my shoulders, patting my shoulder and allowing a subtle warmth to envelop me inside and out. It made me so happy. So happy that this was real. That this wasn’t a dream. My brother was here with me. He’s alive and he’s here with me under the cloudy moonlit sky comforting me. 

“I’m sorry, Lillie… I wasn’t there for you when you needed me. All I could think about back then was finding a way to save Null… I didn’t even think of how you must’ve felt… was that selfish of me?” 

“Th-that isn’t selfish at all. If anything, I feel selfish for saying such things to you. You wanted to protect Null. When I met Nebby back then, it reminded me of when you escaped. And when I ran away with Nebby in my bag as the employees chased me into a corner, I was scared what mom would do to me… But I thought of what you did, and Nebby… It must’ve known what I wanted to do and warped me away. Near the shore of the sea where you drowned… But… What matters is that you’re here now and that we stop mother and save Nebby together. And it won’t be just us. Luma’s here too. And we have the Kahunas and Trial Captains to help us get stronger too.” 

“You’re right… We’re all here. But this is mainly your battle now. We’ll do whatever we can to help you, Lillie.” 

Brother… thank you. But your battle isn’t over. You wouldn’t have come to talk to me on your own. And I wouldn’t have been able to come to this decision on my own either. I looked behind me at the house beside the dock we were sitting on. It was thanks to her that I was able to see and talk to my brother again. Luma… I’m so grateful to have met you and everyone else. Maybe you might be able to change some things to the way they were after all. No… That’s not right… I feel like you’re going to change the world someday.

 

In Mina’s boat 

Luma’s POV 

It’s taking quite a while for those two. I guess they must be talking. Hearing them chatting the night away… It really makes me want to call my brother… 

“Kzzzrt! Heyy Luma! You’re getting a call from an unknown recipient! Zzzzzzzzap!” 

Really? Right now? I’ll answer it, but I won’t be too happy if this is just some scammer or robotic voice on the other line. 

“Hello?” 

“Hey, how’s my favorite little sister doing?” 

Ah! This voice… I know it! Brother?

“B-Brother? Is that you?” 

“Heh, do you have any other brothers I don’t know of?” 

“W-Well, no… But why are you calling at this time of night?” 

“Can’t I check on my one and only sibling?” 

Hmm… Good point. Guess I would do the same thing if he were far away… But jeez, talk about a mind-reading demon… 

“Besides, I got all the letters you’ve been sending me. Man, I’m jealous that you’ve been to spots like these. The pictures of the meadows and the videos of you training with your Pokemon…” 

“You could’ve come with us, you know…” 

“Hey, I still have things to do here! But maybe I’ll take up your offer and visit you sometime.” 

“Sounds good… Then maybe we can have our first Pokemon battle.” 

“You’re kidding, right? I’ll beat you to a bloody pulp if you challenge me.” 

“Then I’ll just have to headbutt you to high heaven!” 

 

Narrator POV 

And so, much like the two siblings who talked under the clouded night sky, another pair of siblings ended up chatting the night away of their travels and encounters with other Pokémon trainers like themselves. However, the next day wouldn’t fare so well with our heroes who slept under the comfort of the oceans calming waves, the clouds roaring of distant thunder, and a mother’s rage. 

When the next day came, the once heavy air that filled around the two troubled Aether Siblings was replaced with a much calmer more determined air to the three individuals. It was unfortunate however that the air soon changed to that of a mix of unbridled frustration and fear as they walked on the Ancient Poni Path and toward the Vast Poni Canyon just ahead when they encountered sprawled figures of several Team Skull Grunts and their Pokémon. 

“Wh-What is this?” Lillie pondered aloud eying on the Grunts as they let off painful groans as she passed. Gladion looked ahead and ran ahead in terror as he laid his smaragdine gaze on locks of magenta and yellow hair tied to a set of twin tails belonging to the Administrator of Team Skull; Plumeria. Lillie and Luma followed close behind as Gladion kneeled to her and clicked his tongue at her unconscious beat up body. 

“Is she alright?” Luma asked as she stood behind Gladion and placed her sights on the beaten Plumeria, whose teeth were gritting from the pain of the wounds forcefully placed on her. Gladion simply nodded as the two watched her breathe heavily and slowly open her eyes from the brink of unconsciousness and forceful sleep. 

“Tch! I-It’s you guys… What are you doing here?” She inquired. 

“That’s not important. What happened here, Plumeria?” Gladion asked as he held her carefully in his arms as Plumeria recalled what had happened. She spoke of encountering several grunts awaiting Luma and Lillie to challenge them to battle but were faced with three of the Ultra Beasts. They gave their all, but it wasn’t near enough to do any damage to them. Even Plumeria, who had a specialty with Poison Type Pokémon was defeated mercilessly before the Beasts let them be and fled back into the Vast Poni Canyon when Tapu Fini arrived to fend them off. 

“We weren’t strong enough… Strong enough to stop them. Guzma… he really likes the president. She’s the… only adult who ever seemed to see how strong he was…” Plumeria then turned towards Lillie, who had a look of worry when Plumeria released a small groan from her lips as she rotated her head. 

“Lillie, right? Deep down… You’re kind of like the president… You’ve gone a different direction, but I can tell… you have the same strength in your convictions… Luma. Lillie. I know you’ve got no reason to help, but… But could you. Nng!” 

“Stop talking!” Gladion commanded, but Plumeria simply reached from the pockets of her pants and pulled something out of one of them, trying her best to reach her hand toward Luma. 

“Could you… help us save Guzma? That big dummy… I don’t think he’s even aware of it, but… Alola really means a lot to him… Th-That’s why he’s-he’s doing something so reckless to try to save it…” Luma knelt down next to Gladion and took whatever Plumeria had in her hands and held it in her grasp. Opening them, she looked at a purple Z- Crystal with the Poison symbol etched in it. Luma, baffled, inhaled a sudden gasp of air. 

“The Poisonium-Z… Maybe… It’ll help you out somehow… I guess giving you this Z-Crystal is also kind of… What do you call it? Helping out each other?” 

“Plumeria, please stop! Gladion’s right, you shouldn’t be talking right now! We need to get you and the other grunts to a hospital or somewhere-“ 

“Oh yeah… you got your first stone directly from Tapu Koko, didn’t you, Luma? You’d… You’d better take care of it. That’s one special Z-Ring you’ve got there… A trainer is… only a trainer… because of the Pokemon with them… If you ever forget that… you’ll bring the wrath of the tapu down upon… yourself…” Plumeria finally lost consciousness as her eyes fell shut and her arm limp. Everyone present had their ways of coping what had just happened; from Luma clasping the Poisonium-Z in her hands as tightly as she could, to Lillie grasping her hands onto the straps of her backpack, to Gladion letting her down gently and contacting Wicke about the damage done, all without keeping eye contact to the two girls he joined with. But one thought was for certain after Aether employees showed up hauling grunt after grunt onto a fleet of ambulances. 

They needed to find Lunala and quickly to avoid any more damage to the people, and stop Lusamine.


	30. Awaken Lunala, the Beast that calls the Moon

Narrator’s POV 

After their troublesome encounter with Team Skull, Luma and company had traveled their way through the Vast Poni Canyon and battled countless trainers, wild Pokemon, and Ultra Beasts that may stand in their way. It was a difficult climb with the rain mixing in with the dirt creating several patches of dirt that the Mudsdale Gallop could just barely go through, but they felt as though they were growing ever closer to the Altar when the sun slowly set for the up and coming day, and nearly signaling the night of reckoning for our heroes as they approached a peculiar cave with a single stone tablet at their wake. 

“Ahead lies a sacred ground of trials.

None who do not take part in its trials will be allowed to walk upon this earth. 

Those lacking the courage to defeat the totem guarding this land will be denied entry. 

But those who believe in their Pokemon and walk beside them shall gain great power!” 

That is what the tablet spoke along its stone frame. The words popped out to Luma much like a childhood picture book with its bright and fascinating colors. And along the distance, Lillie and Gladion were able to spot a pedestal resting among the horizon. 

“This is a trial site. At least, I think it is. But I don’t see a captain here,” Luma thought aloud under her breath as she looked behind Gladion and Lillie who knew exactly what Luma had to do; to complete the unknown trial of this land and try not to interfere. 

“Could you two stay here until this is over? I think I may have to do this alone.” 

“You won’t be alone. You got your Pokemon with you, so do what you have to do and good luck,” Lillie replied holding her fists near her chest as Gladion nodded replying, “Just tell us when the coast is clear. And be quick with it.” 

Nodding, Luma proceeded to pull out her Pokeball containing her Alolan Ninetails and releasing her into the open, where she stood proudly in front of her trainer and watching as Luma approached alongside her, waiting for the trial to begin as she walked toward the colorful pedestal that stuck out of the ground and popping out from the scenery. But before she could be a third of a way to the pedestal, she heard several rocks hitting the ground and turned to see the dragon type Scaly Pokemon, Jangmo-o, flying down at the girl full speed. But before it was able to get a hit in, Kyu the Ninetails was able to block the oncoming pounce and hit the Dragon Type with an Aurora Beam, knocking it down instantaneously before Luma could issue out a command of attack. 

“Whew… Guess they come unexpectedly. I owe you one, Kyu,” Luma showered Kyu with praise tossing her a Poke Bean before another Pokemon hit the ground near them and readied for another attack. But instead of it being another Jangmo-o, it was its’ second stage evolution; Hakamo-o, who had called for more of its’ kind to attack the Ice Fairy Type Fox Pokemon. Luma, quick to draw out another Pokeball, had brought out her Soloist Pokemon, Primarina to act as extra muscle to help aid in their battle and their potential escape to the Pedestal. 

“Clear a path for me you two! Prim, Sparkling Aria with extra water! Kyu, cue up a storm with Snow Warning and attack with Aurora Beam! Make sure that you not only hit the opponents, but the water hitting the ground as well!” both Pokemon hit the ground and did as they were told with Luma running toward the Kakamo-o and surrounding Jangmo-o that had barely shown themselves from the shadows and were able to attack not only the up and coming enemies, but paved a path of ice for Luma and the two to slip in and attack from behind the Hakamo-o with Ninetails’ Aurora Beam and Primarina’s Moonblast, thinning out their numbers in a matter of moments, baffling the Virdis Siblings, who watched her trial comes to an end as she and her Pokemon skated toward the pedestal. 

“She was able to use the splashes of water and ice moves from her Pokemon to pave a path? Impressive,” Gladion commented grinning as his sister was jumping for joy with a huge smile on her face cheering for Luma and her Pokemon remarking on her swift movements and quick mouthed commands as Luma had finally reached where she needed to be; a pedestal containing a singular Z-Crystal. 

“Ahh, so this is a Dragon Trial. I feel silly for not realizing the theme of dragons… Hmm?” Luma was caught off guard as a fierce gaze had descended upon her and her Pokemon, who kept their guards up, turning to their trainer to choose at least one of them to battle what they feel to be another unknown presence that may show themselves. 

“Prim, return. Thanks for all your help, pal,” Luma whispers patting Prim before returning him to his Pokeball, pivoting herself and looking toward Lillie and Gladion, who were about to pass the stone tablet thinking that that was the end of the trial. But before they could approach any further, several pebbles and rocks start to hit the ground along with a shower of dirt and rubble. Luma watched as Gladion and Lillie had skimmed the area before going on any further from the stone tablet. But Luma was quick to figure out just what was going on and held her hand out in an alarmed fashion. 

“You two stay back, now!” Luma shouted as the gaze grew sharper and locked onto her. Gladion grabbed Lillie by the arm and pulled her towards him as his own gaze locked onto a shadowy figure descending near where Luma was with a menacing aura flaring from it. That shadowy figure among the orange light of sundown peering from the cave was revealed to be the Totem Pokemon of the Trial. The evolution of the two previous Pokemon, Kommo-o, who’s aura flared to life before attacking the Fox Pokemon with several moves that remained ineffective but still caused heavy damage to the Ninetails. Luma, nodding to her Pokemon, had pulled out her Psychinium-Z and proceeded to do the necessary movements to produce enough Z-Power to defeat the enemy, despite Luma’s difficulty in controlling her Z-Power. Despite this, she and her Ninetails were able to defeat the Dragon Type Pokemon without any difficulty. 

“Kyu! Let’s Psych them out again with Shattered Psyche!” Luma shouted as the scenery changed repeatedly and the skies warped to their will, knocking down the totem Pokemon with ease, causing it to run away, and allowing Luma to take the carefully placed Dragonium-Z from the pedestal and feel another surge of Z-Power surging through her body as Gladion and Lillie approached knowing all too well of the end of this unexpected trial. After finishing her trial, Luma and Lillie were surprised to hear a familiar clopping and neighing from the start of the cave as the newly crowned Kahuna Hapu and her trusty steed was pleased to see that they made it with one peace, and surprised to see the new addition to their once group of two. 

“Our history tells us that the Vast Poni Canyon trial was the very first trial to be held. We are not so sure as to who started the trial, but we know it’s the most ancient. You did a fine job clearing, just as I expected, Luma!” Hapu shook her hand in glee as Luma chuckled looking to her friend and rival. 

“Thank you, Hapu. But I couldn’t have possibly done it alone…” 

“Indeed. It’s all thanks to you and your Pokemon for cheering you on and battling alongside you. There are many things that we humans can’t do alone. But with a good group of friends and a splendid team of Pokemon, you are sure to go through any obstacle that’ll stand in your way…” 

“You’ve cleared all seven trials of Alola’s island challenge now! That’s wonderful, Luma!” Lillie cheered as she grabbed Luma’s other hand and clutched it into hers as Gladion nodded taking note of her progress from their first battle. The four then head out of the cave of the ancient trial site, and onto the first flight of steps that would lead to the Altar of the Moone. Finally… the moment of truth had finally come as soon as they climb on the set of steps in front of them. 

“The Sun Flute and the Moon Flute… When sound together…” Luma stopped and thought how far they had come as she took the Moon Flute from her bag and held it close to her chest, feeling the chill of the steel atop her seemingly pale rosy skin as Lillie started running up the stairs waving her hand to her brother and dear friend. 

“Luma! Gladion! Let’s go!” She shouted, still making her way to the top leaving both Gladion and Lillie to nod to one another and climbing the stairs, easily catching up to Lillie in no time flat. By the time they got to the top of the altar, both Luma and Lillie were left panting like Rockruffs in a hundred degree heat while Gladion stared down at the girls wondering what was wrong with them. 

“Jeez… how are you… able to have so much energy?” Luma inquired receiving her answers quicker than she could gather air to breathe normally. 

“You sounded like you’ve never run a step in your life…” Gladion answered with an unamused tone as he rolled his eyes, watching Luma and Lillie stand up straight. 

“Hey, I’m usually in pretty good shape. It’s just dodging those attacks from those Pokemon and battling alongside my Pokemon takes a heck of a lot out of me. Yeesh.” 

“Haha, still you moved so quickly! How did you learn to be so agile?” Lillie giggled, inquiring about her unusual agility as she was able to catch her breath quicker than Luma did. 

“My father was a traveler. I remember when he was still alive that he would always take to his travels hiking up routes and trails, climbing up mountains… and all of this while I was a preschooler!” 

“Your father… it sounds like he was really tough on you…”

“I owe everything I am thanks to him. Not just because he’s my father, but he was basically my mentor both in Pokemon and everything else I need to know in life to survive.” 

“Well… we still have some time before the moon fully rises. How is your family like Luma? I only now just got to know your father, and yesterday when Gladion and I were coming into Mina’s house, I could’ve sworn I heard a boy’s voice…”

“Oh him? Yeah that was my older brother!” 

“B-Brother?!” Lillie jumped to this realization while Gladion simply tilted his head toward Luma as she nodded happily thinking of the conversation they had last night. 

“Yep! I know I said that my father was the one who taught me all I needed to know about Pokemon, but my brother was the one who got me into Pokemon battling. Well, he’s technically my half-brother from another father, but I kind of prefer not to talk about it… much…” 

“I… I’m sorry… I guess something happened to your father, huh?” 

“Yeah… But I know he doesn’t want me to mope around just because he’s gone… It still kind of hurts though…” Luma sighed as she reminisced those memories before her father died. But clutched the Moon Flute she held in her hands and let out another sigh; a bigger sigh than the last and simply collected her thoughts to keep tears from flowing down her face as she watched the moon rise from the horizon. Gladion looked at her with slight sympathy in his eyes. Lillie nodded in understanding and gave her a soft pat on the back. 

“I get it…. I’m sorry I asked. I wish I could’ve met him. I’m sure deep down he’s a kind person if you become the person you are now. And for that, I’m grateful to him for having you for a daughter, and for your brother inspiring you to become a trainer. Plus your mother for the two of you moving here, and you for the things you’re doing…” Luma simply looked in awe as Lillie looked at her in the eyes with a smile as genuine as the kindness in her heart, showing her resolve. 

“I think… I’ve made up my mind. I want to be strong like you, Luma. Starting now…” 

“Hold on, there’s something I want to ask you, Lillie.”

“Hmm?” 

“What are you going to say to Lusamine when you see her?” 

Lillie thought carefully with her mouth slightly agape as Gladion also turned his gaze to his sister curious to the inquiry Luma had about her, but quickly shut her mouth and held a finger close to her mouth and winked to the two answering, “You’ll see,” as she took our the Sun Flute from her backpack and headed to the left-hand side of the Altar, leaving Luma a tad flustered turning towards Gladion. 

“Well that sounds ominous,” She chuckled. 

“Hmph. You heard her. Just wait and see.” 

“Fine… Then let’s do this!” Luma shouted as she ran to the right-hand side of the altar and stood ready with the Moon Flute in hand and watched as the Moon had shined down upon them. Lillie and Luma looked toward one another and nodded, giving each other a signal, raising their arms in unison flutes in hand, and finally playing the sacred flutes they held in their delicate grasps. The tune that escaped from the echoes of their flutes was a soft sweet melody that was loud enough for not just Gladion to hear, but those near the temple such as Hapu who waited below to hear. As the melody halted with a soft echo to travel far and wide as the bird pokemon in the sky, the flowing water that slightly surfaced the area had turned to a bright blue glow. Two separate glows that would pave their way together toward the stone that stood proudly with the symbol of the Altar. After they met, the stone had parted to two revealing a shimmering golden prism to absorb the moonlight that had descended upon the area, and unleashing what would look to be a multicolored beam of light near Gladion, who backed away from the area and near where Lillie and Luma stood to watch with their eyes wide open and jaws dropped onto the floor of the Altar near the steps. The ball of light building from the area looked to be as bright as the moon shining above and as warm as the sun that rested on the other side of the earth. 

While Both Gladion and Luma watched as the dome of light had grown more and more, Lillie was alarmed to see her backpack move spastically from her shoulders and toward the ball of light. However, it wasn’t just some supernatural effect of the light, but rather Cosmoem, as Wicke dubbed it, shredded the pink cloth from its’ being, look in the light of the moon, and unleashed its’ power at Lillie looked in shock and yelled for Nebby to return. But after a sudden flash of light had blinded the trio, the dome of light had vanished allowing dust to cloud the scenery of the altar as the three children opened their eyes at the clouds of dust that had formed around the altar as the three saw an even bigger shadow amongst the clouds. That was until the dust cleared, revealing a large pair of wings that reflected the night sky above with golden accents and large reddish-pink eyes. When Lillie and Luma realized what it was, with Gladion catching up to them as they instantly ran toward the Pokemon; Lunala of the Moon. 

“Is that Lunala?” Luma leaned toward Gladion asking in a hard whisper without taking her eyes off the Pokemon, feeling Gladion acknowledge her shock. But the two looked away from the Pokemon and toward Lillie, who took note of the sudden change as Lunala cawed to the sky is was born under. 

“Nebby…” she silently called, causing Luma to jump back and looking back at Lunala. 

“Nebby?!” Luma and Gladion shouted looking back at the Moone Pokemon. Luma facepalming as she took note of the book that they read in the library back in Malie City. 

“That reading… About Lunala… A fragile heir in Alola born that island guardians would keep from strife… That was talking about Cosmog wasn’t it?” Luma grumbled under her breath as she laid her hand on her side and looked toward Lillie, who slowly approached Lunala. Gladion, paranoid about stopping her, was halted by Luma who halted him from approaching him further, telling him to simply watch and listen. 

“Th-thank goodness… You’re alright… please don’t ever do that again! You made me worry so much!” 

Large globs of tears had streamed down from Lillie’s cheeks. Her shock had turned to relief as she laid eyes on Nebby, the once frail and mischievous Pokemon that had turned into a dormant coin, into this… the Legendary Pokemon. 

“Not in all of my readings… did I think that sounding the flutes would give you so much power… or allow you to evolve into the Legendary Pokemon! I’m beyond words… Beyond anything! I’m… I’m just so happy!” 

“You did it, Lillie,” Luma said, placing a hand on Lillie’s shoulder, with Gladion agreeing, patting her head as the two looked up at Lunala, and knew what they had to do next. But before they could, Luma looked toward Gladion and spoke. 

“Gladion. We need you to stay here,” Gladion widened his eyes at Luma’s remark and turned to Luma faster than she could say anything else, causing Lillie to turn toward the two. 

“How could you say that? Lusamine is my mother too, so I’m coming-“ 

“Gladion, listen to me,” Luma approached Gladion resting her hands on his shoulders and looking at him straight in his eyes with determination. 

“I made a promise to Lillie that I would take her to where her mother is. And I know that you want to help us. But if anything happens to us out there and we don’t escape, then we need someone here to get help.” 

“What makes you say that?” 

“I just want to play things safe. We don’t know what’s out there. And what’s to say that what’s waiting on the other side of the Ultra Wormhole is more Ultra Beasts. And mark my words, we will all get out of this alive. I just…” 

Gladion nodded and took in consideration of the circumstances. That if Lunala was wounded in a way and that if they all charged in at once, they would have no one else to support them from the outside. That out of the three of them, he would be the best choice to leave behind since he could finally trust Luma to protect his sister with the strength of her and her Pokemon. This was especially proven during their siege in Aether Paradise and the ancient trial just outside the entrance of the Altar of the Moone. 

“Alright. I’ll stay here. And all of you will return. Is that clear?” 

“Clear as mud, Edgelord. Clear as mud,” Luma looked toward Lillie and nodded to her and Lunala to open a wormhole to where Lusamine and Lillie were. Lunala gladly obliged and lowered itself to allow Lillie and Luma to hoist themselves up on the Pokemon. 

“Luma! Lillie!” Gladion shouted as Lunala opened the wormhole, causing the two to turn at the boy who was growing farther and farther from their sights. 

“You better come back! No exceptions! Drag mother here by the collar of her shirt screaming and struggling if you have to!” 

“We’ll be back!” Lillie shouted. 

“You know we will!” Luma screamed as they are suddenly taken aback by Lunala flying straight into the Ultra Wormhole, closing immediately as they entered, leaving the former Team Skull enforcer alone in the night as he thought carefully on their safe return. But those thoughts didn’t last too long as an Ultra Beast from before appeared in front of Gladion, who stood ready for an up and coming battle. 

“Least waiting for them won’t be so boring. Just know I won’t lose! So you better be doing the same!”


	31. Mother Beast

Narrator POV 

Beyond our world can hold either mysterious horrors… or wonderous beauties… as for Ultra Space, it was a beauty shrouding infinite horrors in store for Lillie, Luma, and Lunala as they swooped out of the Wormhole and into the new world filled with various rocky structures and colorful looking platforms amongst a world in pitch. 

“The air is so thick here… it… it almost hurts to breath,” Lillie remarked peering the new surroundings as she turned to Luma with uneasiness in her eyes. 

“Do you think the Ultra Beasts really are Pokemon?” 

“I don’t know… It’s hard to say really what they are… But I will agree with you that it’s kind of hard to breathe here. I feel like a Snorlax is resting on my lungs,” Luma spoke holding her fist to her chest as Lunala cooed to the two. 

“Mahina-a-a-a-a Pe-a-a-a!!” 

“You have to stay here, Nebby? Is that what you’re telling us?” Lillie asked, receiving a nod from the Moone Pokemon as it idly floated. 

“Thank you for bringing me here, Nebby. I’m grateful for your help.” 

“Rotom, do you think you can load a map of the exterior? Uhh… Rotom?”

“What’s the matter, Luma?” Lillie asked Luma as she pulled her Pokedex from her bag and looked at Rotom in its’ shut eyes and blacked out screen as Lillie approached looking from behind her shoulder. 

“Rotom… Don’t tell me…” 

“Knew this would happen, it just curdles my blood looking at Rotom like this,” Luma sighed looking ahead as she walked forward with Lillie alongside her. But as they walked on, Lillie couldn’t help but allow her eyes to adjust to a familiar figure that shoved her out of his wake as he ran off with her mother to this world. 

“I’m the Team Skull boss, and I’ve never been scared of anything or nobody. Hell, I live my life making people scared of ME!” 

“Is that… Who I think it is?” Luma looked up where Lillie was keeping her gaze and was baffled to see the familiar set of golden glistening jewelry that she had come to know from Malie Garden. But there was a distressed look on his face that really got the girls’ attention. 

“Shaddup and listen to what big bad Guzma has to say…” Guzma muttered as he jumped down from the rocky platform and onto the solid ground that was the rigid form of the obsidian earth in front of both Lillie and Luma, who took a step back from the young man. 

“Y’all are stupid!” All that Guzma could do after speaking was simply shake his head and turn away from the minors so that they didn’t have to look at the unsubtly and fear in his eyes. 

“by the way, how’d the two of you even get to this place? I’ve got no clue how you did it, but here you are… But I gotta warn ya, it’s all dark here… I’ve got no clue what’s happening, but there are beasts everywhere… and when I tried to catch one of those things… It… It possessed me…” 

“What?” Lillie asked, only for Guzma to turn back around and gritted his teeth at the blonde hair green eyed girl who jumped back at his gaze and went on how the beast was able to possess him both body and mind. That he became someone else until he gained back control. But that would’ve been the first time that the leader of Team Skull was able to sense fear. At least, according to him. 

“I may be the boss of Team Skull, and I’ve never feared anything or anybody… but that lady… she’s on another level. She’s lost her mind over these Ultra Beasts!” 

“Hold on, what do you mean?” Luma asked in a defensive tone. Guzma’s response? He turned to Luma and scoffed at her words. 

“I mean there’s no talking to her, no reasoning with her… she’s just gone…” 

“That’s not going to stop me!” Lillie shouted, causing the two to face her as she shook her head and grabbed the straps of her backpack and ran straight ahead toward a light at the end of the tunnel with Luma following behind. But before she could go further on, she turns back to the boss of the ragtag team of Alolan hooligans. 

“Guzma. Try not to let that sort of thing get to you. I thought you were the boss of beatdowns after all,” Luma muttered before turning her back to Guzma and following Lillie to the farthest ends of Ultra Space. By the time they reached the end, various Nihilego had filled the area as the two entered the same area where the swarm had gathered. Almost as if all of this was orchestrated. Both Lillie and Luma couldn’t help but feel their hearts drop from their bodies and onto the cold ground of the unknown. What’s more is that they felt as though their hearts were picked back up and practically stuffed back into their goosebump ridden bodies only for them to be grabbed by the tentacles of the same Ultra Beasts surrounding them when they heard a familiar voice filling the air as another presence decided to finally grace itself. Or rather… herself. 

“Do you like it? My little world?” Lusamine Aether Virdis… the president of the Aether Foundation, Gladion, and Lillie’s mother, and the cause of all the Ultra Beasts escaping onto their world had spoken as she walked toward a rock in the center of the area in front of the Pokemon Trainer and her daughter. 

“A world where the only that exists is the love between Nihilego and myself… so beautiful… so delicious… this is the real paradise… and yet you…” Lusamine turned to the girls and looked down at them with the ghostly looking Ultra Beast hovering alongside her with a devilish smile that would twist into a toothy frown. 

“Why must you continue to pester me?! I am sick you! Sick though and through! Look around you! look at this beautiful world that I’ve finally come to! You want me to return with you? To that world?! Even you cannot be so stupid to bother me for something such as that!” Lillie held her head down… it appears she would admit defeat. But the way here fists were balled up looked as though she was gripping the air with all the strength she had. That all the hopes of her mother returning the way she before was no more than a distant memory. 

“You only think of yourself what you want… it was just like back in Aether Paradise…” Lillie’s tone, albeit quiet, had emanated rage. Something that Luma was able to catch on quite quickly. But one that her mother was oblivious to. 

“Hmm? And why shouldn’t I? I can live here in a world with only the things that I love!” 

“And does that not count your daughter and son? Who you neglected? Not taking any of their feelings in consideration? Are they that disposable to you if that meant getting what you wanted?!” Luma questioned but only to be swiftly interrupted by Lusamine, who backhanded the raven-haired girl across the face, knocking her head to the side and even knocked her off balance as Luma placed her hand on the mark forced on her, but turning her eyes toward Lusamine. 

“I could care less about them. Even if they were loyal to me, or if they were the rarest Pokemon there were in the world. If I don’t consider them beautiful enough to be worthy of my love, then I don’t need them! A son who rebels for strength and a daughter who pleads for the past… I don’t need either of them. And I certainly don’t need a talkative, Incompetent, useless, good for nothing child to tell ME what I should take in consideration and to give up what I WANT!”

The Nihilego around appeared to be in a frenzy as they hissed at the girl’s who was standing in front of them. And even though they were amidst a swarm in their territory, Lillie ran in front of Luma and kept her attention locked onto Lusamine, who was about to strike Luma again, and grabbed her hand, staring daggers at the woman, causing her to wane her strike as her hand shook in anger amongst Lillie’s grip. 

“I am the one who is sick of you, Mother! Even if we are just children, children are not just things that belong to their parents! Pokemon are not just things that a trainer can do whatever they want to!” Lillie shouted as she tossed Lusamine’s hand back at her, causing the woman to step back toward one of the Nihilego around her, with Luma watching wide-eyed and a smile slowly growing from her face, along with a small chucking peering from her lips, keeping her ears open to what Lillie had to say. 

“I am alive! Cosmog is alive! We are not things for you to collect! We are not made for you to discard when you get bored with us! Gladion, Guzma, Wicke, and even all the other employees and grunts who served under you aren’t just disposable pawns! This is terrible! You're TERRIBLE! For doing such things!” Lillie took a deep breath and kept paying attention to her mother, even as Luma stood beside her, her mother never left her field of vision. Even with her heartfelt words, Lusamine remained unphased. 

“Terrible? Me? How am I different from any other Pokemon Trainer? Take that girl there for example… Luma. You have a Pokemon you don’t use anymore? Do you not remove it from your party?” 

“Even so, there’s a difference between being a trainer and being a neglectful perfectionist mother, Lusamine… I believe that we as trainers are capable of change to ourselves and others around us. And what we do to change the world around us with due time. So, to change your view, I’d like to settle this as trainers than your run of the mill soap opera.” 

Lusamine looked at the two with gritted teeth and a small growl as the two girls stood their ground side by side. 

“You’ve become ugly… All of you… and you know what… those of you ugly little things who defy me… those who intrude in this world made for Nihilego and me… ARE NOT TO BE BORN!” Lusamine took out a glowing blue Pokeball and tossed it into the air, releasing a contained Nihilego that descended slowly toward Lusamine, who raised her arms to the sky toward the girlish beast. As the two joined their hands and tentacles together, a sudden flash of light blinded the two girls which caused them to stand back as the dust settled, revealing an ironically hideous fusion of both Lusamine and Nihilego. Even with her new form, Lusamine had her devilish frame reflected into the bulbous head of Nihilego, smiling proudly as she looked down at Luma, who stood in front of Lillie with Pokeball in hand, ready to battle against the Mother Beast. 

“Lillie, get back! This’ll get pretty ugly…” Luma asked, with Lillie nodding and stepping away from the area of the battle. After doing so, Lillie felt a familiar presence brooding over her. But not one that would cause her to lose a nerve. However, Luma took another Pokeball out from her bag and brought out her Vikavolt and Primarina. Vikavolt to help her battle, and Primarina to defend Lillie and for extra cover. As Luma stood ready, she took notice of the rapid shaking of her legs, and her thoughts going numb as she looked at Lusamine in her now bright yellow eyes. She noticed all the changes the Ultra Beasts did to her. Her legs hanging helplessly from the frame of the beast as her once blonde hair was turned into a dark purple blob around her head and her arms were connected to the large tendrils of the Ultra Beast like bulbous, lengthy, unreal gloves. 

“It’s ironic, really. You call us ugly, and yet here you are. You’re kind of a hypocrite. Even so… I promised your children. My friend and my rival… that I would bring you back.” 

“ShUt Up! YoU kNoW nOtHiNg!” Lusamine shouted as she took out a Pokeball from who knows where and brought out one of her Pokemon; a Clefable. Who immediately went after the Vikavolt with a Metronome that brought out an agility boost. Vikavolt was able to fly high above and strike the Fairy Pokemon when it dug its’ way into the ground and attacked from below. While they were battling, Luma had nodded to Prim and ran straight to Lusamine, who looked at the corner of her eye and pounded her bulging arm to the ground, unleashing a wall of rocks and bits of poison at Luma and her Pokemon. Fortunate for them, they were able to deflect them with Prim’s Sparkling Aria absorbing most of the impacts. However, the Sparkling Aria wouldn’t stand a chance as Lusamine had sent a wave of toxicity and a surfing Clefable toward their wake. Clicking her tongue, Luma brought out a third Pokeball and brought out her Trevenant, which stood ready as it prepared to grow its roots onto the unknown ground and cause an Earthquake powerful enough to disrupt the wave. However, this didn’t end up lasting as Trevenant was attacked by the Fairy Pokemon’s Moonblast, nearly knocking it down. 

“Aw crap!” Luma shouted sending in Vikavolt to dig into the ground and attack from below once more. But Lusamine was able to catch on and another Pokemon of hers out into the field to seek the Bug Pokemon out; Mismagius, the Magical Pokemon. But Luma herself was able to notice the sneak attack against Vikavolt and acted accordingly. 

“Revi! Can you still fight?” Trevenant nodded, waiting for Luma’s instructions as she tossed a Sitrus Berry toward the Ghost-type, slightly recovering from the damage it received. 

“Okay! Forget about Clefable for now. Back up Vivo with Phantom Force!” Trevenant went underground avoiding another attack of Clefable’s and going after Mismagius. There, Prim readied a newly learned TM Luma obtained along the way in hopes of defeating the President’s Fairy Type.

“Prim! Use Scald on Clefable!” Prim, from another end of the room, had fired a geyser of boiling water toward Clefable. But as it tried to attack again with another Metronome, Trevenant appeared from the ground after Mismagius sprouted up and smacking down onto the ground defeated and attacked Clefable with a Poison Jab. With the burn of Scald, the two-time weakness of poison, and a previous attack from underground by Vikavolt, Clefable was defeated. Lusamine, gritting her teeth with absolute frustration, had prepared another toxic wave toward Luma and her team, only for most of the damage to be severed by Trevenant’s Earthquake, not only taking down the large wave of toxicity and reducing it to a mere puddle, but doing some damage toward the Mother Beast as she groaned in pain. 

Luma, although prepared for the next Pokemon that Lusamine would send out, had beads of sweat dripping from her face as she knelt with cuts from the small chips of rocks cutting and mildly bruising her skin, to the toxic fumes of the waves of poison finally sneaking their way into her brain. Lillie, who kept a close watch of the entire battle playing out, grew concerned. She knew that being up close to such attacks would hinder Luma’s physical condition and slow her movements, and potentially her mental state. She wondered what she could do to help as she looked behind her. Toward Nebby, who hovered close to her, much to Lillie’s surprise. But also much to her shock as she witnessed some of Luma’s Pokemon growing tired as they battled the rest of Lusamine’s team, but also not knowing what to do as Luma was held up by one of the Mother Beast’s swollen tendrils, ready to strike her down. 

“I bEliEvE tHiS iS fArEwElL yOu HaTeFuL lItTle TrAiNeR!” As Luma’s eyes were beginning to shut, she was able to make out a familiar bat like silhouette sneaking up from behind the Mother Beast, who kept her widened golden eye’s on the girl with a toothy grin. But that smile wouldn’t last as she was attacked by Lunala, letting go of the girl and allowing her to be caught by Trevenant, who stood her back onto the ground and left to quickly battle against the rest of Lusamine’s team of Pokemon. When Luma looked to her Pokemon, they were healed up and easily defeating Lusamine’s team. Curious, she looked around her wondering how they managed to take care of themselves, until Lillie, with a Full Restore in hand, had stood in front of the surprised trainer alongside Nebby. 

“Lillie?” Luma called as Lillie looked up at Lunala and then back at her mother, who perked her head up and shook of the pain dealt with her. When she did, she looked up at Lunala with a look of pure shock as the Moone Pokemon looked down at her abominated form, awaiting Lillie’s command. 

“Please… Help us, Lunala!” Waves of starry blue had blasted from within Lunala and hit Lusamine once again, sending her towards the other end of the area into the weirdly formed structures behind her. Along with a gentle blue glow came a puff of purple smoke, where the dust was settling. There, a warm light had appeared around Lusamine, who had unfused with Nihilego, allowing the Nihilego to float away, and leaving Lusamine to fall on her back; onto the cold cement ground. 

“H-How did…” Luma thought, only to interrupt herself as she watched Lillie run to Lusamine, kneeling down to her as she reached her. Luma, following close behind, knelt next to Lillie and placed two of her fingers on her wrist; checking for a pulse. 

“Mother… Is she…” Lillie muttered, turning to Luma with an uneasy look in her eyes. Luma nodded, turning back to Lusamine in hopes that she would open her eyes once more. 

“She’ll be fine. She’s hanging in there.” 

“Mother.” Lusamine barely opened her eyes, groaning from the stress dealt in her body as she turned her head and looked up at her daughter, reaching her hand toward Lillie’s face, caressing her cheek softly. A chuckle escaping from her mouth as she made small circles on her fair skin. She took in a certain change that had appealed to her as she laid her eyes on her daughter… and that was… 

“When did you start… become beautiful…” She said, shutting her eyes and allowing her hand to fall onto the ground sprawled to half a T. Next to her yet next to where Lillie knelt. Luma got up and looked behind her to hear a set of footsteps approaching; Guzma’s footsteps. The Boss of Team Skull had shown himself after not being able to show himself in the battle against Lusamine. It almost looked as though he was peeking from the side of all the events that came to be. But before he could say anything about the Aether President’s current condition, the ground had grown to tremble and quake, while the Nihilego in the area had grown enraged and hissed from the distance far and wide. They were obviously angry at their friend… Their Mother Beast took from them. 

“What now?! What’s going on?! And just when things were getting good!” Guzma shouted as the Nihilego began to gather above them. Revealing themselves one by one. But that one by one. Soon, the area had flooded with these mysterious lifeforms. 

“There’s so many Nihilego! What do we do?! And mother… She isn’t waking up!” Lillie shouted, looking around as the Ultra Beasts began to close in. Luma looked around and brought back the Pokemon out from her field, exchanging them for her Ninetails. 

“Kyu! Dazzling Gleam!” Ninetails cooed and began to use its’ fairy type move to blind the Nihilego surrounding it, finding a chance for everyone to escape. 

“Guzma! Grab Lusamine! We’ll need to pave a path!” 

“Don’t go giving me orders, pip-“ 

“Now’s not the time!” Luma rebuttal, pointing toward the area where they entered from; a signal for Ninetails to attack with an Aurora Beam per Luma’s instruction. After doing so, Lillie along with Guzma carrying Lusamine on his back, Lunala, and Luma and her Ninetails followed close behind. When they reached the dead end with the Ultra Beasts on their tails’, Lunala had opened an Ultra Wormhole back into their world.

“Alright, everyone gets on Nebby!” Luma shouted watching as Lunala had lowered their wings allowing Guzma, Lusamine, and Lillie to board atop the Moone Pokemon. Luma, on the other hand, had stood in front of Lunala along with her Ninetails and started fending off Ultra Beasts left and right. 

“Okay… C’mon guys, get yourselves through that wormhole!” 

“Luma what are you doing?! You need to get on!” Lillie shouted as Lunala raised itself up from the ground and headed toward the Ultra Wormhole. Luma turned around as she took the attention of the Ultra beasts from the Ultra Wormhole by activating her Z-Ring and switching her Ninetails out in favor of her Trevenant, who stood ready to fend off the various oncoming attacks of the Nihilego. 

“I’ll catch up! For now, we can’t let these Ultra Beasts get on your tail and having their way with our world!” 

“Luma-“ 

“Just go! We can’t have more Ultra Beasts running around our world!” Luma yelled as she ran ahead, but not before activating her Z-Ring, slowly spilling her Z-Power, but drawing the Ultra Beasts around her and passing her by. But just as she thought she lost them, she had hit a dead end as she saw the exterior of Ultra Space from the habitat of the Nihilego. It was a large island floating on thin air along with a sky as dark as pitch. Under the island, there was just as much as there was in front of the girl; pitch. Darkness was all that surrounded the area. The only source of light that was her Z-ring. But it slowly took a toll on her as her Z-Power had continued to drain out of her body, causing a sense of fatigue to cloud her mind just as the darkness had surrounded the floating island. But even so, this wasn’t going to stop the girl from activating her Z-Ring to its’ fullest and activating a Z-Move. 

“Revi! Let’s unleash the full force of our Z-Power! Awaken the dead from their graves, infect the minds of the wicked, and send them to oblivion!” Luma had gestured her hands to signify the Ghost Type Z-move, unleashing the rest of her Z-Power onto Trevenant, and causing a grand light to engulf the area around them. 

“Now sleep! In a Never-Ending Nightmare!” Luma shouted as Trevenant had unleashed a series of Ghosts and Spirits to grab onto their foes and defeating the Ultra Beasts on impact as their fingers had taken hold on their seemingly squishy bodies. This had allowed the island to be clear of any other Ultra Beasts that may be in the area. Trevenant looked behind, only to see her trainer’s eyes close and her conscious go down asunder. Before she could close her eyes, she watched as she heard a few sets of footsteps approach the raven-haired trainer as her eyes had forcefully shut, falling to her knees. Trevenant seemed apprehensive at first but allowed the mysterious group to help her. But before she could hear what they had to say, she closed her eyes and allowed her conscious to fall and her eyelids to do the same.


	32. What Fate has in Store

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'm terribly sorry for the late release this week. The College I'm at has been packing on the homework these days... It may be like this for the duration of the story, but I hope you can understand. Luckily we're on the home stretch! Until then, I hope you enjoy.

Narrator’s POV 

As the portal from Ultra Space had opened, Lunala along with its’ passengers had descended onto the altar, catching the attention of Gladion and his Silvally, who had finished chasing off the Ultra Beasts and having them retreat. When he turned, he had a face full of relief as he watched one by one the expeditors of Ultra Space descending from the Moone Pokemon. However, that relief would slowly diminuendo, and be replaced with a crescendo of concern as he saw the look of worry on Lillie’s face. Her eyes were up to the sky as the Ultra Wormhole closed. Soon she would widen them as the portal to the other world had come to a complete close. 

“She isn’t coming… I thought that… Why isn’t she following us?” Lillie muttered to herself. Her brother lurking from behind and proceeded to berate his sister with a barrage of inquiries of these sudden emotions relayed from Lillie. 

“Lillie, what happened? What’s wrong?” 

“G-Gladion… I’m… I’m sorry. I tried to get her to come, but she… there were so many of them…” 

“What are you talking about!?” 

“Hold on are you sayin’ that that black-haired pipsqueak didn’t come with you after we hopped into that portal thing?!” Guzma shouted looking back at Lusamine, then at the sky which brightened softly yet sweetly contrasting the air that had infested the atmosphere around the individuals standing at the altar. Gladion felt his body tense and the air around him go thin, his eyes widening from a mix of anger and worry. He knew they wouldn’t leave her. But Luma made them anyway. 

“That idiot! Why would she-“ 

“She did it to keep the Ultra Beasts away from the Wormhole! She… she figured they would just keep following us… There… There were so many Nihilego… A-And everything just…” Lillie felt something slip out of her bag and drop onto the ground with an abrupt knock. This object rolled below her skirt and between her feet where she looked down. She didn’t know how, but the Master Ball given to Luma from Gladion had appeared in her bag. At least, it looked as though it was slipped in. Lillie scooped it up from the ground and examined it closely. It was then that she looked up at Lunala, who in turn had looked down at the two siblings. 

“Nebby…” Lunala looked down at the Master Ball and then toward Lillie, who in turn shot a look of shock as she knew just what Lunala wanted her to do. ‘Now? But at a time like this?’ she thought. But knew she had no other choice. She also knew that despite her quick-witted strategies and fast feet, Luma was still human. A girl her age who has just as many problems as she did opponents for Pokémon Battles. 

“Nebby… Are you sure? This is your home after all…” 

Lunala nodded, giving her it’s blessing to capture it in that very master ball in Lillie’s hands. Lillie knew that she couldn’t give it the battles it craved, the adventures it wishes… But she knew that her dearest friend can. 

“Thank you… for everything… Lunala,” Lillie whispered as she tossed the ball toward Lunala and Lunala was soon engulfed in a bask of light. There, that very light had captured itself into the Pokeball, not even clicking, but still able to capture the Moone Pokemon effortlessly. After doing so, she walked over to the purple and pink spotted Pokeball meant to house even the Legendary Pokemon. It was then that Lillie released the Moone Pokemon from its’ Pokeball. 

“Lillie… you. Heh,” Gladion looked toward her grinning and looked up at Lunala, who opened an Ultra Wormhole back into Ultra Space. However, when they attempted to enter, silhouettes were seen walking from the other side. They weren’t Ultra Beasts, this the siblings knew. But humans… more humans coming from the other side of an Ultra Wormhole? How could this be? What was strange was that they didn’t look human so much as they looked more… Alienated.

“Are those… people?” Lillie questioned as the four individuals walked onto the pavement without a single word escaping from their mouths. Alongside them was a large Pokemon reminiscent of a tremendous white furred lion with a face like Lunala’s had shown itself alongside the four distinct individuals all in a seemingly identical uniform.   
“Greetings residents of Alola. I am Soliera,” said one of the individuals revealed to be a young woman with blue hair tied to a side ponytail on her left side. She looked up at Solgaleo as a spryer individual looked toward Lunala and gasped at its presence. 

“Woah! Did you evolve that Lunala yourself!? That’s amazing!” She shouted, only for her excitement to be halted by a more serious looking individual standing alongside her, confusing yet startling Lillie. 

“Calm yourself, Zossie,” approached another of the same uniform, but this time it looked to be a man with a shade of purple hair. However, the final person accompanying them had silently taken something from Solgaleo’s back after it knelt to the height of the unknown group and the locals. This final person had blue facial hair that consisted of a pointed beard and a curled-up mustache. 

“Pardon my squad members, but we couldn’t help but aid this person here. It’ll make it quite easier if this girl were your comrade,” he exclaimed as he brought down a motionless Luma from Solgaleo’s back. Lillie shouted Luma’s name and ran towards her with Gladion in tow as this mustachioed fellow laid her on to the cement. 

“Luma? But how? Did they…” Lillie muttered to herself as this Ultra Recon Squad, along with their Solgaleo spawned another Ultra Wormhole in the place of the first one Lunala had fabricated and turned away from the small group, accessing the Wormhole. Even with Gladion stepping in front of the girls and demanding the attention of the seemingly humanoid lifeforms, the mustachioed humanoid of the Ultra Recon Squad had turned his head and pivoted his entire body toward the blonde, scanning him from head to toe and then toward his sister, who sat alongside her unconscious friend who was brought back to them. Then scanned his eyes toward Guzma, who stood at the side of the unconscious mother of the two blondes ahead of them. It didn’t look like it, nor could anyone see the look in his eyes thanks to the set of goggles on his face, but within this person was a sense of intrigue and curiosity; an interest toward Lillie and the power and compassion she possesses if she was able to come in contact with Lunala, Luma for what brought her and the others to Ultra Space, and Gladion who seemed jaded by his countless battles against the Ultra Beasts. 

“So this is what the humans of Alola look like… I would like to investigate you all further. However, we must be off.”

“Hold on! Just who are you, people?” Gladion shouted, the rest of the Ultra Recon Squad and Solgaleo disappearing into the tear of space. However, the man simply smiled, caressing his mustache and placing his other hand behind him. 

“We were simply in the right area at the right time. Until we meet again,” He turned away from Gladion and walked into the tear and followed the same path his comrades had taken before the Ultra Wormhole closed and sewn the space around it together again, leaving nothing in its’ tracks. 

“Huh? What?” Luma muttered as she sat up from Lillie’s arms and looking around the Altar, baffled to see that she had returned. Lillie overwhelmed with all that had just happened, abruptly wrapped her arms around the raven-haired girl, surprising her substantially that she allowed a small yelp escape from her lips as Lillie’s sobs were muffled by her shoulder and her tears running down her face. 

“Gah! Lillie! W- Hold on what the heck just happened? Is Lusamine okay? Are YOU okay?!” Luma spoke quickly as Lillie embraced the girl tighter before letting her go, getting a good look at her shocked confused face as the sound of trotting came to a leisurely crescendo as Hapu, along with Mudsdale, climbed their way to the top. 

“Hey! Lillie! Luma! I was concerned so I ascended! And what do I find but the Legendary Pokemon… and a strange hole in the sky. However, I’m relieved to see you all unharmed,” Hapu exclaimed once she laid her eyes on Lusamine, who had yet to wake up, but was checked on by Guzma and Gladion, who checked on her shortly after Luma had awakened. Hapu looked toward Mudsdale and the two nodded toward one another, looking toward Guzma with a determent glare. 

“You there, big fellow. Carry the lady, will you? she is weak, but I do not believe that she is seriously harmed. We should take her to be treated directly.” 

“I’ll head over to Aether Paradise and let Wicke know. Lillie, will you accompany me?” Lillie nodded at Gladion’s inquiry as Guzma picked Lusamine off from the ground, waiting for the Virdis siblings to follow along as Luma had a Charizard Glide prepared for the four of them leading to Aether Paradise in a swift fashion so that Lusamine could get a swifter recovery. However, as the four were boarding onto the Lizard Pokemon, Gladion had approached Luma hoping to give her an inquiry for her. Well, not so much of an inquiry more so… a demand. At least to Luma. 

“Soon, the Pokemon League will open to the public.” 

“Uh-huh, I heard. Up in Mount Lanakila, right?” 

“Are you thinking of going?” 

“To become Champion? I don’t know…”

“Either way, meet me at the bottom of the peak the day the league opens,” Luma was still uncertain whether she even wanted to battle to become a champion as Charizard flew off toward Aether Paradise. She lived here for about less than a month or so and never had time to settle in. She knew she would feel out of place here at first but being champion after moving in a month or so of venturing into her trials and obtaining a few Z Crystals scot-free such as a Fairy Type Z Crystal from Mina or the Flying Type Z Crystal sitting isolated in its pedestal on the cliff of Ten Carat Hill. It felt unfair for Luma to just arrive out of the blue and take the throne. 

“Luma… you’ve done well in guiding Lillie, though she’s not a trainer. Are you going to challenge the league on opening day?” Hapu asked, only to be met with a small sigh. 

“Hmm… I think I’ll need some more time to think about it…” 

“Cripes, it’s exhausting climbing all the way up here…” 

Luma looked behind her to see the Ula’Ula’ Kahuna sitting atop the steps of the altar. It looked as though he had just arrived the way he sat with his back curved to the ground and the way his chest had steadily risen and descended with each breath he took. Despite this, Luma was slightly startled from his presence. 

“You’ve completed all your island trials and done your grand trials, then you’ve gotta do the final trial. Basically, a ceremony beating all four of the Kahunas in a row. But now, things are a bit different this year. Now that we’re getting a real Pokemon League here in Alola.” 

“Well… I didn’t say that I wasn’t going. Maybe I’m a little curious, but keep in mind that I’ve only ever been in Alola for like… Less than a month.” 

“Hmph… girl, take a seat. There’s something you should know. Hey, Hapu. You come here too,” Nanu mentioned as he patted the spot beside him, allowing Luma and Hapu to sit beside the fellow Pokemon Trainer and Kahuna, witnessing the sunrise from atop the flight of steps. 

“Answer me this, girl. What is your reason for becoming a trainer?” Luma pondered on this question. Her reasons were muddled. They changed with time and life-changing events that would take place in her life. She knew she wanted to be a trainer. That was all she knew. Thanks to a small number of encounters she had with Pokemon when she was younger, along with several interactions with Pokemon Trainers, she saw the emotions that Pokemon and their trainers brought on toward one another and what they could achieve when they battle together. She wanted to be a part of such a bond between Pokemon and Trainer. But never thought the day would come, until her mother brought up a certain region that her father would frequent in between travels. 

“I… I don’t know. I had a special affinity with Pokemon ever since I was little. Even now with Tapu Koko and Lunala, this affinity keeps growing. I guess… I just go wherever and whatever fate has in store for me. At least, that’s what I thought before coming here.” Yes. She felt that it was simply something that every kid her age wanted to go through. That is was a sort of coming of age for every child. But boy… Oh, boy was she wrong. With every person she met along the way, she knew now that it was dependent on the choices and actions of others that drew them to make these choices. These were especially prominent toward Lillie, Hau, and Gladion. And to an extent, her own brother. They were just like her, unsure of what they wanted to do, but knowing that they wanted to do something that involved Pokemon, but fate had other things in store for them. They were able to pursue their dreams eventually, but what they wanted to do with their newfound talents, that was also left to fate. Not only fate but time. 

“At this rate, no one is sure what they want to do at your age aside from becoming a Pokemon Trainer. At least, that’s what could be said for most kids your age. Even for someone like me,” Nanu muttered as he looked up at the sky and tried to avert his gaze from the sun, allowing Hapu to finish for him. 

“We were chosen to become Island Kahunas by the Island Guardians. There were most of us that wanted to be chosen by the Tapu. Most of Alola actually. Including me. As for Nanu here…” Hapu paused, allowing Nanu to finish what Hapu had started for Luma to finally understand. 

“Those who are chosen by the Island Guardians are obligated to become the Kahuna of their respective islands whether they like it or not. Once someone is chosen as an Island Kahuna, there’s no stopping what fate has in store. A Kahuna’s reign lasts until they die or are forcibly ejected from their position. That includes yours truly,” The way Nanu had annunciated his words seemed a bit harsh for Luma to finally understand why Nanu behaves the way he does. That he didn’t want to have the title he has today. 

“The Tapu have a funny way of swinging people into things. It’s much like fate. We don’t know what the winds of change will bring in Alola now that you’re here. Just try not to rush things though,” Hapu muttered as she got up from the step and proceeded to take her leave. It was almost time for Nanu to take his leave as well alongside Luma, who took her leave to the ferry on its’ way to Melemele Island, where she could finally rest her head after staying up for another full day, and in hopes of potentially preparing herself for her next challenge.


	33. Lanakila Rematch; A Childhood Dream Realized

Narrator POV 

It had been about a week since Lillie and Luma had traveled to Ultra Space to rescue Lusamine and Guzma from the Nihilego. There weren’t many changes to the town as most of the Ultra Beasts that had arrived in the region had fled into different areas of Alola across the four islands. As for the Pokemon League, the opening day had dawned as the news depicted Professor Kukui along with four unknown trainers standing behind him in an ominous yet epic manner that left Luma a bit excited. She thought of the talk she had with Nanu and Hapu, who seemed to have urged her on to challenge the league as she got ready for another day and finished examining another chapter of the Adventure Rules book on her desk. After that, she walked out of her room and proceeded to ear the breakfast made for her by her mother, who watched intently alongside her Meowth of the Pokemon League.

“Hehe, you look better today, Luma,” her mother giggled as she got up from the sofa and took a seat across from her with Meowth accompanying her up until they passed her and cuddled up towards Luma, who in turn petted its head and gave them their favorite Chople Berry, which the Scratch Cat Pokemon ate in a euphoric delight, causing its’ trainer and her daughter to laugh in delight. 

“Are you thinking of going to the league, Luma?” 

“The League? Well, someone did tell me to meet them below the mountain, so I’ll be swinging by there…” 

“But are you going to the League, dear?” her mother asked with an insistent tone and a slight chuckle before getting another swig of her coffee. However, Luma seemed a bit more conflicted about whether she should challenge the league. There was a small possibility that she could go through the Elite Four without much of a problem, but there was also the possibility of her becoming the new Champion and her being ridiculed because she wasn’t a native Alolan. Would the people be angered? Would they love her? Will they grant her respect, or will they chastise her? There were many things that would cause Luma’s head to spin. 

“I only ask because there was something that I remembered. It was when your father was still alive.” 

“Father? We rarely even talked about him. But what does me having to challenge the League and Dad have in common?” 

“Well…” Luma’s mother had drunk the rest of her coffee and proceeded to walk over to a set of boxes sitting since the move. As she shuffled through the various knickknacks and miscellaneous items, she cleared the dust of a photo album and proceeded to remove an old photo of a silhouetted man standing beside the cliff of a tree alongside a petite girl clinging to his foot and raising a finger to the air amidst the bright orange autumn sky that instantly drew Luma in quicker than she could think. This photo was that of her and her Father; a traveling Pokémon Trainer for hire. None knew his name, just that he traveled by foot and battling any who either ask of him to battle or takedown. By the sound of it, he sounded like an assassin. But he had his standards and his pride to uphold. He didn’t want to battle to gain glory or be the strongest, but he simply wanted to take in the beauty and sights of the world that he was at first denied. At least, that’s what she was told by her mother. She did remember, however, that she did travel with him on his travels. He was able to place her under his wing and taught her all he knew of the world from how to survive, how to defend herself, to accepting the world as it was and that everything took time and effort to grow and thrive. But also, to recover from even the most devastating of times. With such a photo close to her vicinity, she remembered at least one thing she told her father. Coincidentally enough, it was just a little after this picture was taken. 

She didn’t quite remember what exactly happened, but she remembered her father and her just getting home from one of their many travels and looking out at the sea in Driftveil City. She remembered always having to catch up to her father and his teaching for the day. He knew she wanted to be a Pokemon Trainer not just because she knew the basics, but it was something that resonated with her very being, but it was also something that came naturally to her. Luma remembered her father asking why she wanted to become a trainer. Her answer? 

“Umm… I- I wanna be a trainer because… I-I wanna be like the champions!” 

“Hmm?” 

“They’re like… They’re like heroes, daddy! Them and their Pokemon! They battle not just they’re strong, b-but they… *mumble mumble*” 

“Luma, I can’t hear you if you keep mumbling like that…” 

“Because they beat the bad guys, daddy! The bad guys try to hurt the world! And the Pokemon! The champions saved them from the bad guys before they became champions!” 

“Is that so? Tell me, where’d you hear that?” 

“Mama told me. And she read it to me from one of her books….” 

“Hehe… So what you’re trying to say is… you want to be a Pokemon Trainer so you can be a Champion?” 

“Uh-uh! I wanna be a Pokemon Trainer so I can be a Hero!” 

“Heh. A hero, huh… then what if it doesn’t work out?” 

“Then I… I can travel with you! Or help Mama.” 

“Oh yeah?” 

“Yeah! But I… I still wanna be a Hero!” 

“I see… You’re really adamant about it, huh?” 

“Yeah! I’m… Ah-duh… Ment! I'm Ah-Duh-Ment about being a Hero! So that when I’m strong, I can protect the world from the bad guys! And protect everyone! Even you, Daddy!” 

“Heh… I look forward to it. The day you become a hero.” 

Although her dream did end up coming true in a completely different way than she imagined, it was something that really threw her into a loop. Something that caused Luma to block out what her mother had tried to say to her, but immediately snapped herself back into reality as she looked straight at her mother and hoped she would repeat herself. 

“Your father told me that you wanted to be a hero like the Champions. That you wanted to protect this world along with everything on it. I don’t know if it’s something you still wanted to do, or if it was just something you thought of as a child. But back then, you were still so considerate of those around you… Even now…” Her mother thought carefully and looked up at her daughter, who seemed to be in a trance as she recalled that memory. Her mother looked her in the eyes and watched as Luma swiftly ran from the table and ran into her mother with a big hug, nearly winding her and causing Meowth to go on the defensive, but quickly calming down as its’ trainer softly stroked her daughter’s head as Luma tried to hold back her tears and hugging her mother tightly before letting her go allowing her to breathe and process what had just happened. 

“Luma?” 

“*sniff* Thank you, Mom. For showing me that picture. I think I… I’ll be going.” 

“Wh- Luma? Wh-where are you going?” 

“To battle!” 

“What?! Y- Battle how so?!” 

“I’m headed to Mount Lanakila!” After hearing what her daughter had to say, she nodded and smiled, remembering the dream that Luma had in her heart and watched as Luma quickly put on her shoes, hugging Meowth, and making her way straight to the door. 

“Luma! Do you still have that same dream?” She exclaimed in surprise watching as her daughter had cracked the door open with her Rider Pager in hand. Luma turned her head and gave her mother the biggest smile, and nodded, confirming why she became a trainer; she wanted to be a hero like the champions of the regions. To protect the world that her father blessed her, the teachings she learned, and the friends who stood at her side. 

Luma’s POV 

I gave a thumbs up and called out to my Charizard to make my trip to Mount Lanakila, with a slightly baggy jacket on my person. It's a little big on me now, but I'm sure it'll grow. But it's better than not having a jacket, that's for sure.

I came across the railings of a mechanical lift when I got to the start of the mountain, wondering if this was leading toward the league. I heard something coming down. And by something, I meant someone. And that someone was my angsty ally.

"I've been waiting for you."

"Gladion? What are you doing here?"

"to thank you. For what you did for Lillie. For our mother."

Lusamine!

"Speaking of, how is Lusamine?"

He looked to the ground with his hand on his head. He's really making me nervous here.

"Gladion?"

"She hasn't woken up yet. From what I've... from what Lillie and I have heard, Nihilego had injected toxins in her so that she's more susceptible to control. Aether's doctors flushed it out, but the symptoms will still weigh on her physically and mentally."

Makes me wonder how far she went? Did she have the poison before meeting up with Nihilego? Or was something driving her? Or rather someone? Maybe... maybe Lusamine and I aren't too different.

If that's the case, then she may have been like me.

"Gladion, I-"

"Apologizing won't get her back on her feet. Nor will it change the past... But I appreciate it. Maybe more than you know."

I looked up and cleared my head of all the boundless apologies. Looking up to the familiar figure of the Enforcer I've come to known.

"Ready your Pokémon."

"What?" 

"The only thing I can offer you in thanks is a great battle. So I'm going to show my full power... my real full power this time! With the Z-Ring that old man gave me!"

"A battle? Now? Well..."

He snickered and smirked at me.

"You sure are a spazz. Brings back memories."

"What?"

"Surely a battle with me will be nothing if you're going up against the league."

I distanced myself once more from Gladion, and readied my Pokeball, keeping his remark fresh in mind, laughing it off.

"Ha! Funny! You were always one to never take no for an answer. Well, consider yourself lucky, since there's no going back!"

Narrator POV

"Come, Crobat!"

"Let's rock, Vivo! Zap Cannon!"

"Cross Poison!"

Crobat and Vivo charged at each other with their attacks in tow; Vivo's Zap Cannon taking the first hit and knocking down his Crobat,

"Good to see you and your Pokémon aren't holding back"

"Guess the grinding paid off,"

"Don't get cocky now," he whispered under his breath as he brought out his Lucario to the field.

"I'm not getting cocky," Luma said as her Vikavolt digs through the ground and from below Lucario.

"I'm just getting started!"

Gladion seemed worried. Was he losing his edge? Judging from the smirk on his face.

"Quick Attack while it's suffering from the recoil!"

And in seconds flat from its recoil, Vikavolt was unable to battle and was returned back to its Pokeball, with Ninetails taking its place.

"Tch! Dazzling Gleam! Then finish them with Extrasensory!"

Ninetails complied and used Dazzling Gleam, blinding Lucario. But only to a small degree.

"Rah!"

Lucario swooped in from the flashing light and seemed to be using consecutive attacks to follow Ninetails. Not with its sight, but by sensing its aura.

"What the?!"

"You really are an idiot."

"What?!"

Gladion looked towards Luma with what seems to be a warmer stare but still seemed to still have the stare of a rival.

"Lucario is known to use not only it's main senses to fight, but also detecting the life source of its opponents and all other living things; aura."

Luma stared in awe but shock as Lucario and Ninetails still battled one another in the flash of light created by Ninetails' Dazzling Gleam.

"And with this aura, even if Lucario were to lose its sight."

The flash of light had finally cleared, causing some knockback to the two. Who won the battle, wasn't certain. Until the bipedal canine looking Pokémon stood tall against its fox-like foe, allowing Luma to speak while she quickly returned her Ninetails and had her next Pokémon out in the field.

"And... aside from it's fighting type, it's also steel. Ensuring that it stays safe from both fairy and ice moves..."

Gladion seemed to have a face of dissatisfaction as if he wasn't getting too much of a thrill from this battle taking two of the five Pokémon Luma had. It was getting stale.

"But those are fancy words for ' I exploited your weakness'..." 

Gladion's POV

What does she mean by that? Unless...

I looked behind Lucario to see a shadow standing behind it, ready to strike. Is it Trevenant? It's using Phantom Force to sneak up on it to ensure a swift defeat if that's the case. Not to mention, it doesn't help that it's shedding leaves. Don't you ever learn?

"Lucario! Aura Sphere!"

Before Lucario could attack, a blast of flames could be seen from the shadow to which Lucario was standing by, hitting them and knocking them down instantaneously. But why a fire move? Trevenant is a Ghost-Grass Type. But I was baffled to see Arcanine using an Agility boost.

"Not Trevenant?"

When I looked up, I saw Luma. Smirking like a fool. She may be a fool, but she may have planned ahead.

"Like I said, 'I exploited your weakness'.

I look to my Z-Ring and see that the Steelium Z was in place of the slot. There may be one thing to do.

"Finish them!" She shouted.

"Z-Ring activate!"

with those words, Luma's smirk had twisted into that of uncertainty.

"Twisted metals melted down with the flames of rebellion, take shape into the sword that will pierce the way to renewal!"

"Hey! You stole my Schtick!"

"Corkscrew Crash!"

"Oh boy..."

After initiating the movements necessary to activate the move, Lucario readied itself and had focused all of its Z Power into drilling down Arcanine, hopefully taking it down. Lucario finally stood down and waited as the dust cleared. I hoped to see Luma's Arcanine on the ground and hopefully take down her Primarina in a matter of seconds. But I was met with it barely standing, covered in wounds.

"Impossible! The Z Move should've defeated it!"

"Whew... Intimidate for the win."

I internally facepalmed.

Intimidate. The ability to lower the opposing Pokémon's attack. So Arcanine barely survived with its special ability. But that can't be all...

"And now... turn the tables, Cano! Reversal!"

With that, they had attacked head-on, and knocked down my Lucario, gaining a critical hit in the process. She planned this... I knew Arcanine had the type advantage with its' fire type. Not only that, she made use with its' abilities, deceived Lucario and me into thinking of it as another Pokémon. She doesn't just evaluate the type and discover it's weaknesses...

"To sum things up, it's not just about exploiting weaknesses and Type advantages, or putting your luck into Z-Moves... which I may or may have not been doing in my many battles here..."

What's she aiming for.

"To me, it's all about improvisation and using what's available."

"And you're telling me this why?"

"Because. Because...."

She seemed to be in the midst of pondering her words. Improvisation. What did she mean by that?

"Because... think back in Route 8. I bonded with you and my Pokémon. Not only that, I utilized my surroundings by gathering utensils from the cafe in the Pokécenter, types of plants and leaves and which can be utilized as herbs from all the books I read back home, and breathing easily while looking around my surroundings, putting my luck and safety in the watchful eyes and strength of my Pokémon!"

"Why are you explaining all of this?" I asked as our next set of Pokémon had battled; Arcanine and Weavile.

"Think about all that had occurred during the battle. I was able to create strategies that revolved around utilizing my surroundings, such as blinding my opponents with Dazzling Gleam or deceiving you by thinking I've summoned a Pokémon of a different type when I really summoned a Pokémon of another type than the one you thought of. Hence why I had Arcanine cloak itself in Lucario's shadow, and using the leaves scattered from Tapu Village thinking that I've summoned Revi..."

I see... so she isn't just blindly journeying of her own accord destination to destination. She takes her time and observes everything. She takes the time to strategize and gather her thoughts. Who knew such analytical behavior could come from someone like... Luma... Luma Moon.

She was annoying, but... when did she... stop? Was it the last time we battled? Back in Aether Paradise during her battle with mother? Or...  
Maybe I never found her annoying...

"Night Slash!"

"Flame Wheel!"

With those last set of attacks, we were left with our last Pokémon. Silvally and Primarina. I couldn't help but enjoy myself. I haven't felt like this in years. The time I had in Team Skull. Even my battles in Royal Avenue were nothing compared to this battle I'm having right now. It was... thrilling. Entertaining even.

I couldn't help but just... laugh. Like a madman. Causing confusion to the girl in front of me.

"Uhh..."

But it can't be helped. She's surpassed my wildest expectations as an opponent.

"Gladion?"

"I think I understand why Lillie sees so much in you. Why she praises you so much"

"Well... you did say you wanted to thank me with a great battle. You truly delivered. I'm glad. Now let's give this battle the ending it deserves."

I couldn't agree more.

I reached for my last Pokeball and brought out Silvally. Luma, on the other hand, brought her Primarina. Her ace in the hole. The bond Luma has with Prim was unbreakable. All the other Pokémon she had through her journey, she'd just send in the PC of the Pokémon Center. But Prim never left her party. They never left her side. Much like Silvally and I to an extent. Never leaving each other to the ether of the outside world.

"Alright... let's go! Hydro Pump!"

I quickly withdrew a disc from my sweater pockets and threw to Silvally, turning some of its features green, and taking less damage from Prim's Hydro Pump.

"What the what?!"

"Grass Type Memory loaded! Get ready! Multi Attack!"

Silvally readied itself and headed towards Primarina with a Razor Leaf like attack in tow.

"Quick! Moonblast!" She shouted and just barely hit Silvally, knocking them back.

"Okay... what?!"

"With these discs, I can change Silvally's type. When given the chance,  
I can change the discs from Silvally and thus, change its' type. Although it retains the weaknesses of that certain type, it also retains the advantages."

"So if it's grass, then it counters my water. Huh. Got me there. Kind of cheap, but you got me." 

Narrator POV

Luma looked to her Z Ring and figured the only way to beat Silvally was to activate a Z Move. However, she had both Waterium Z and Primarium Z, none of which could possibly be of help to her. Only to remember one thing.

"Sorry, Gladion."

Luma returned Prim who seemed to have just barely avoided the attacks from Silvally.

"What is the meaning of this?"

"You got me with changing types and memories with Silvally. But keep in mind I have one more Pokémon..."

She pulled out one more Pokémon from her back, revealing Trevenant.

Gladion's POV

Trevenant? Why did she send back Primarina? Does she know she can't win with them? Or that she's at her limit?

"Thing is Gladion, Prim has been with me since it was just a Popplio back at the start of my journey, its true. But I'm not one to finish things with the same outcome two times in a row."

She pulled out a Z Crystal from her purse and inserted it into the slot, replacing the blue water type, giving me the chance to switch my Silvally into a ghost type.

"Alright! Let's go Revi! Shadow Claw!"

"Crunch!"

The two were at it, only for Trevenant to suffer severe damage from the dark type move. But what was she thinking?   
From what I saw, Luma murmured something... I couldn't quite hear it though.

"Z Move! Activate!"

A Z-Move? She was saving it here. Figures. I need Silvally to attack and come back to me so I can-

"Black Hole Eclipse!"

The Dark Type?!

"Shoot! Silvally! Come back-"

With that, the battle came to an end,  
with Silvally nearly falling at Trevenant's mercy. When the debris cleared from the scene, I had seen that Luma had swiftly switched Trevenant back with Primarina. I quickly took out the Steel memory and quickly called Silvally back to me. I knew that one critical attack would do me over.

"Quick Prim! Moonblast!"

Quickly, Silvally... it all depends on if you can reach me. Hurry...

"Growrrrr!"

"Yes! Steel Ty-"

Boom!

"Yip!"

"What the hell!?"

We jumped out of the blast just in the nick of time. Seeing that the blast had hit through the cliff behind me.

"Luma-"

"Oh don't worry... I wasn't gonna let anything bad happen..." she says as she points her finger up to the sky. What was she...

"...!"

And at that moment...

"I didn't mean to seem like a liar. But it was apart of the plan."

It was all over when the floating bubbles of water had exploded from above, defeating Silvally.

"There's nothing more to say. Hmph." 

Narrator POV

Luma walked toward Gladion who seemed to be taken back by the blast as he stood back up, only to be taken back by the girl holding out her hand toward the edgy individual.

"That was kind of dirty. Sorry about that."

He took her hand and got back to standing on his own two feet, putting his hands at his sides and stood in silence, taking in the outcome of the battle.

 

Narrator POV

Luma stood idly in front of Gladion, who had moved his hand onto his head, waiting for a response from him. Her eyes glimmering with curiosity, yet worry. What would he say? What would he do?

"Heh..."

"Huh?"

Gladion moved his hands onto his hips and smiled at the girl. A first for her to witness, which caused her eyes to widen with surprise.

"You've got good Pokémon. I know what kind of a trainer you are now. And what kind of journey you've been through."

He walked in one direction and stood, looking to the ground, his smile still plastered onto his face. Luma, on the other hand, had walked closer to him and smiled herself, her eyes getting bigger as she stared at him, emitting a small sound from her closed lips.

"What?"

"You're smiling. I never seen you smile before. Least of all, around me."

He backed away to give himself room and looked away from the girl.

"Anywho, Lillie wanted me to tell you something. She's looking after our mother at the foundation. She wanted me to tell you something..."

She hummed with a small sound of curiosity with a similar volume to her small sound from before.

"She wanted to say that you're the best Pokémon Trainer in the world, Luma."

He walked back over to her and grabbed her hand, placing something in her hand; a Max Elixir, and a Master Ball.

"Wait... isn't this Pokeball?"

She looked back up to Gladion and at Gladion's hand, her eyes leading back to his, forgetting what she was about to say. Only for Gladion to let go of her hands and allowing Luma to put her gifts from Lillie into her bag.

"Hau's working hard to get stronger, too. But if you two are going to get even stronger, then I guess I can't let down my guard yet."

"Nope. Not when there's a lot more battling to be done," Luma shook her head and placed her hands at her sides with gusto.

"Hmph... I know we aren't friends. But we aren't enemies anymore either."

"Hah! Sure, Virdis. Suuuuure..." she gazed at him with her hands behind her back and her eyes filled with glimmers, only for the boy to respond by rolling his eyes, but smiling at the girl once more.

"Keep winning, maybe I'll see you again if you do."

He was about to walk away from her until she stopped in front of him.

"Wait! Actually, I have something to say? Can we talk this through a ride on that elevator?" She asked without hesitation.

"I... I don't know..."

"Cmon, Gladion. Please... it's kind of important that you hear me out," she begged and was successful when Gladion turned toward the elevator and readied the controls to head on up to a certain part of the elevator.

"You convinced me. So c'mon," he jerked his head to her direction and the girl obliged, walking in his direction. The elevator had activated when Gladion had activated a switch, allowing the elevator to ascend to its' next destination.

"Okay, so what did you want to talk about?" He asked.

The girl looked down below at the ground, which was disappearing from her sight as the fog from the mountain, along with the falling snow, obstructing her view.

"I just... wanted the chance to... uhh..." she stuttered, twiddling her thumbs to the sound of the purring of the elevator.

"You wanted the chance to??"

"...to thank you."

This time, it was his turn to widen his eyes. Why did she have a reason to thank him, he wondered.

"For what? For the battle?"

She chuckled at his response and nodded, but also shaking her head between breaths.

"Yeah. It made me realize something... It made me take time to remember why I wanted to be a trainer," Luma paused as she looked at the path beyond the elevator thinking about that bright orange sky that burst into her mind like a watercolor painting. Something that could hopefully make her realize her dream. 

"And what's the reason? You being a trainer, I mean," Gladion asked in anticipation as Luma pivoted her entire body to face him and smiled brightly before exiting the elevator and proceeding further up the mountain containing various Pokemon and trainers hoping to become the next champion. It may have been something that she wanted to be when she was small, but it was something that she was absent-mindedly striving for ever since she saved Cosmog from the bridge the first day she got here, to her first confrontation against Team Skull, to her marching at the front door of Team Skull's stronghold, to battling alongside Gladion and Hau to save Lillie, and even now... For the future. 

"I always wanted to be a hero... To protect my new home! And everything on it!" She screamed as she waved goodbye to the boy, sprinting to the top and battling along the way. Gladion felt a small breath get stuck in his throat as he watched her run. But also found himself smiling at her for her reason to battle. 

"You're already a hero in our book."


	34. The New Champion; The End and the Beginning

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> When you don’t feel like writing many battles… but don’t worry, there will be more next volume… Until that time comes, here’s the revamped first volume finale! Thank you all so much for your support during this story. I’m so grateful for each one of you 1,086 people, and hopefully counting, for reaching this point. I hope you’ll look forward to the next volume. And if you can’t wait, Volume 2 is out in Wattpad with Volume 3 on the way. But before Volume 3 could be on the way… Thank you all again and enjoy the finale.

The battle was tough, but in this Climax at the top of Mount Lanakila, Kukui had his Decidueye attack Luma’s weakened Primarina with a Leaf Blade. Luma knew if this attack were to hit, Luma would lose the battle as half her team had been swept by the professor’s Lycanroc with nothing but her Trevenant to defend her, until it bit the dust from the Archer Pokemon standing before her, with all but Primarina to take Decidueye down. Prim kept dodging this last attack with all it had with his trainer biting the tip of her fingernail on her thumb, until she thought of something. Something that she learned from her battle against Gladion. She was able to use their attacks in such a unique way back then, and here she was acting like any other run of the mill trainer. 

She raised her hand and pointed her finger up to the sky, shouting the command to enact Sparkling Aria around the arena. Prim acknowledged this and did as his trainer told, nodding his head and creating several water bubbles that would shortly invade the crystal dome atop the peak. Decidueye had prepared themselves for what was coming to them and waiting for Kukui to issue an attack for them. However, as soon as Kukui had an inkling as to what Luma was planning, she planted a crystal in her Z-Ring and allowed her overflowing Z-Power to pour from her Z-Ring and around her body as she allowed the motions to speak for themselves. 

“Prim! Allow your song to be heard, neither quiet nor calm. Between the winds, the waves, the sands, and the shores…” Prim had proceeded to feel the infinite flow of Z-Power coming toward him, clearing his throat and sat straight up, releasing a resonant song that would gather all the water from most of the water bubbles created from the sparkling aria which instead of mist in the air had turned into rain, which would eventually turn into a storm in the room before the bulbous ball of water had yet to burst. Kukui wasn’t so sure whether Luma had lost control again of her Z-Move like she did during the Battle Royale. However, the storm had eventually cleared, revealing not only the massive water bubble slowly moving above the Arrow Quill Pokemon, but as Decidueye had prepared to attack on Kukui’s signal, Decidueye noticed all too late as a few of Sparkling Aria’s water bubbles had popped in contact as soon as they gravitated toward Decidueye. But they were doing little to no damage toward the grass type. However, Kukui knew just what Luma and Prim had planned, and knew that if this attack were to hit, then surely he would lose. So the one thing he had left to do was to activate Decidueye’s Z-Move, initiating the movements in hopes of counterattacking. Decidueye was able to receive the Z-Power and intiate Sinister Arrow Raid, but the powers of it and Oceanic Opretta were equally matched as the attacks had hit one another, exploding the humungous water bubble on impact, obscuring everything on the field, making the winner of the battle unknown and the impact of the blast causing both Luma and Kukui to cover their eyes from the debris. The harsh impact had called the attention of the Elite Four, drawing them from their respective arenas and unto the throne room. 

“Woah! That was some battle!” Acerola shouted as she watched the dust settle slowly. However, the questioned remained… 

“But who won? Kukui or the kid?” Kahili questioned watching both Primarina and Decidueye standing still among the debris that unhurriedly lightened up. Olivia however was seen grinning proudly as one of the Pokemon had collapsed onto the ground, signaling their trainer’s loss and their opponents’ victory. 

“It’s obvious who won. The one who showed promise from the moment they arrived here…” Olivia talked smugly as Decidueye was shown on the floor with Primarina panting before falling to the ground across his opponent. His trainer on the other hand had stood baffled. Her eyes widened toward Kukui, who covered his eyes with his visor and smirked proudly as he returned his final Pokemon, and slowly approached the baffled Luma as she shortly shared her praise toward her starter Pokemon, who aided his trainer through the start of her journey, returned him back to his Pokeball, and straightened her knees up, her eyes still as wide as Solrocks as she saw Kukui walk toward her direction. 

“Amazing! It’s like I told you before, the strongest moves you can use are the ones a Trainer and their Pokemon choose together in the heat of the moment—when it really counts. And you just proved me right,” Kukui muttered as he placed his head atop of her head and ruffling the hairs of her head up a bit. But all Luma could do was simply look up at Kukui with tears in her eyes, and words stuck in her throat. She couldn’t get the words out; what she was thinking. For one of the first times in her life, Luma was unable to speak, allowing Kukui to speak after sighing. 

“I told you, didn’t I? Up there on Mount Hokulani. Man, the Pokemon and the Trainers in Alola really are the best! I want everyone in the world to know that, too! That’s always been my dream! And right here, right now, it finally came true! And its all thanks to you, Luma! You and Primarina! I’m so happy I got to battle you and your team here, right where my dreams came true!” 

“*sniif* P-Professor… I… I’m glad… Both of our dreams were realized. Thank you. Thank you. Thank you,” Luma had begun to cover her eyes as the tears had dripped from her face, with Kukui smiling down at the newly crowned Champion of Alola. After she wiped the tears from her face, both she and the Professor turned toward the elite four. Kukui had raised Luma’s hand high as she looked toward the eyes of the Elite Four with a wavering smile from the welling emotions in her chest as Kukui had made his proclamation to the Elite Four, and very soon to the entire region of Alola. 

“Everyone… I give you Alola’s First Ever Regional Champion of the Alola Pokemon League!” 

“You’re amazing Luma! You really do love your Pokemon with all your heart, don’t you?” Acerola screeched as she glomped atop of Luma, mildly surprising the newly crowned champion as the rest of the Elite Four had gathered around congratulating the New Champion, who tearfully thanked everyone for aiding her, for battling her, and for everything that they had done together on their journey. 

“That’s precisely why she and her Pokemon were able to combine that strength to emerge victorious!” Olivia shouted, along with Kahili and Hala. 

“Now we’re all going to be aiming for your seat. I hope you’re ready for some rivals.”

“All right, Luma! Wipe those tears! There’s no need to be sad when were busting a U-Turn for Melemele Island! We’re gonna have a big festival in Iki Town! We’ll let everyone know, too!” Everyone in the dome cheered as they marched with Luma walking alongside Kukui outside of the league and onward to Iki Town, where everyone in the town was curious as to what was going on, but shortly after staring with eyes of Solrocks at the newly crowned Champion. And even though it hadn’t even been a day after Luma had become Champion, it gave everyone time to plan for the grand party that would take place in Iki Town the next day. Just in time for the rest of the trial captains, kahunas, most of the people of Alola, and the Alolan Media to arrive in hopes of interviewing those of the new Pokemon League. 

But as everyone had celebrated in a merrily fashion, Luma, dressed in a ornate kimono her mother had for her, and Lillie had stood away from the crowd and had a heart to heart with one another. 

“I can’t believe they planned an entire festival all for today… But what if a champion didn’t surface today? Would this just go to waste or something?” Luma asked Lillie, receiving a heavenly giggle from the blonde girl. 

“If it was something that Professor Kukui had dreamt about to this day, then of course it would be something this big. I think it was to be expected. And if not, then I’d be surprised.” 

“Haha, yeah… This is Kukui were talking about. The same guy who has a double life as a battle royale wrestler and woos in the middle of his sentences,” the two laughed it off, only to realize that Kukui had been overhearing their conversation and with a nervous giggle had walked over to the new champion. 

“Haha, why’s our new Champion sitting her like a wallflower?”

“Oh, Professor! Well… I’m not too great with parties. Especially big festivals like these. Unless it involves a battle or something,” Luma’s tone had come to a slow decrescendo as she looked from Kukui to Lillie and then to the ground where her feet stood. 

“Well how about, at the very least, make some kind of a speech?” 

“A speech? Gee, I dunno…” 

“It wouldn’t be so different from all the stuff you told me and Hau. And my brother…” 

“Wh- uhhh… hmm….” She thought about it a tad bit. But decided to follow Kukui on toward the party and decided to, at the very least, give a small word, and then after hide behind a tree. She watched as the media has asked a slew of questions and flashing their cameras toward the young girl. In her thoughts, she thanked Arceus that Hala had told them to keep her distance, but he felt more like a princess rather than the champion of a region… or a hero. But even so, she felt as though this was something she couldn’t back out of. 

“Umm… I… H-Hello… T-To those who don’t know me, I’m…” 

‘Holy shit, what do I do? What do I say? What do I do? What do I say? Beartics have been made. Beartics have been made!’ She thought in her head as she tried to think of what words she could say. That was until she saw someone familiar in the distance, hiding amidst the small slew of trees. She took a deep breath and exhaled softly. 

“Alola. I’m Luminaria Moon, and as most of you know, I am the new Champion of the Alolan Pokemon League. I…. for as long as I could remember, I knew I wanted to become a trainer. A trainer that could be powerful enough to protect those who mean everything to me. That includes all of you. I didn’t want to take the title of champion as a title to ensure my future, but to ensure someone else’s. And honestly, I don’t know what the future has in store,” Luma took a deep breath from the silence and decided to continue. 

“But what I do know is that being a Pokemon Trainer brings a strange sense of freedom to us all. That. That even if we’re sad, if we’re a mess, or we’ve hit rock bottom… We still have our Pokemon, our friends, our family, our dreams of the future and what else may be… We still have reasons to keep reaching our hands to the sky and hope for something good to happen to us the next day. So please… Don’t forget me… this message… I want to be remembered for bringing any sense of hope to someone… anyone here… A-And that’s all… Thank you. And I promise to all of you… I’ll be a Champion you can all be proud of.” After Luma had stepped away from the crowd, there was a roar of applause coming from the other side of the wall of media who were shocked to see that Luma had vanished as quickly as she appeared. She was able to find herself out of the slew of media, and found herself with Hau, who was in tears after hearing the speech, hugging the life out of her like a Bewear. 

“*Sniff* Ahhh, that was to beautiful!” 

"Hau? Are you... crying?"

Luma had looked to Hau and saw he had his face soaked in tears, finally catching her breath after being released from the Alolan boy’s grip as he swiftly wiped the tears from his face. 

"Crying? What are you talking about?!"

"Awww, Hau. It's okay, it's all good."

Hau kept whimpering and sniffling, but still smiling a big goofy smile, making his retort. 

"B-b-b-but! But! But I'm so happy!" He yelled into my ear and quickly pulled me back into yet another hug. So I just accepted it and hugged him back.

"Oh, Hau..." Lillie said with her hands on her hips with a wide smile on her face that had spread from ear to ear.

"But really, Luma. Congratulations on becoming the Champion!"

"Hehe, thanks Lillie. I just hope you don't start crying, too," Luma said sarcastically, scratching her head all the while releasing a nervous giggle from her mouth.

"Heehee, what? Like Hau? Maybe not," Lillie chuckled.

"But I will say, I never thought of you being a kimono person! You look very beautiful!"

"W-well I never been too keen on dresses. Besides, kimonos are like pajamas, only silkier and comfier! Plus, I can move around a lot quicker and better than in a dress! Uh! No offense."

Lillie giggled as she took a look at her simple white dress along with caressing the pink flower pin in her hair, which was tied into a high ponytail.

"It's a beautiful festival, isn't it..."

"Everyone looks like their having a good time," I pondered.

"Hey, Luma."

Luma turned to Lillie and hummed questionably, awaiting her answer.

"I hope that you'll always stay just the way you are now... look how much joy you've brought to everyone here..."

She scratched my head and nervously giggled at Lillie's praise on the Champion. ‘It was a joint effort between the others,’ Luma thought in her head as she scratched her head once more. 

"I think even my mother would have smiled and laughed to see this... if she came... but I think... my mother's is getting a bit better. She even tried to come tonight..."

"Really? That's good, Lillie. I'm truly happy for you."

"I've been trying to help her understand what she did wrong... gently of course. But she needed someone to scold her."

Luma sighed in relief as she heard the news of Lusamine’s recovery, but thought of what Gladion said back up on Mount Lanakila about her tough road to recovery. 

"But."

"But?" I repeated Lillie's response and quickly turned my head to her presence.

"But in the process, I think I've discovered what I have to do next. What it is that I can do," she raised her head and grabbed the Champion’s hands quickly, grasping them gently yet maintaining her grip.

"What? What are you gonna do?" I asked.

"Luma... I... I am going..."

"Going... where?"

There was a small silence between the two girls. It was driving Luma insane from what Lillie wanted to say to her. And how much importance it held to her. 

"I... am going to-"

"Alright everyone! I know we have been dancing like oricorios! But let's take things slow..." Olivia spoke smoothly onto a microphone, surprising everyone, but seemed like something she would do. Lillie had shook her head after she was interrupted and looked toward Luma once more. 

"No... never mind. Let's enjoy this festival"

She sounded a little sad, but had some determination in her, which was like a burning flame. But then Hau ran up to the two and stopped between Luma and Lillie.

"Hey, Lillie! Let's dance! You and me!" Hau shouted, taking her hand.

"Eh?! Well... okay!" She agreed and the two ran off to dance, leaving Luma to try and find an opening away from the dance floor, only for Olivia to look among the distance at Nanu, who stood beside the dance floor and crowd of slow dancing people. 

“Care to dance? A Champion as beautiful as she is skilled shouldn’t be alone here on her big day?” 

“Uhh… what?” Luma muttered as she watched the ace trainer in front of her take her hand and look at her with a seductive glance, sending shivers down the champion’s spine, and not in the most pleasant way as he continued. 

“Oh, baby. I’ve gotta give it to you, you are worthy of being the next number one…” 

“Wh-What?” 

“Chad. Chad Wellington. A present to the region’s strongest…” 

‘Bleugh, I will quash your excitement for calling me babe, creep,’ She thought in her mind as Chad has placed a peck on her hand from his lips, causing the girl to internally vomit once more as he kept gazing into her eyes, which she so desperately tried to avoid. 

“So then, Miss Moon. Would you care to dance? There aren’t too many Trainers who’ve mastered using their Z-Rings. Meanwhile, we’re the special few. So it’s only natural that WE stay together, hmm?” 

“Uhh, no thanks. Not in a rush to get to the dance floor, but you know there are plenty of people who are more than willing to dance with you.” 

“Aww, so what? Am I not good for you because you’re the Champion? Well I’m not one to back down so easily for someone who’s playing hard to get.” 

“Please take the hint already. I’ll be off now. Good ni-” Luma tried to walk away from Chad and into the crowd, only for his grip on the girl’s hand to intensify and pulling her in towards him. 

“Sorry, but I never said I would take no for an answer.” 

“Uh. I need an adult,” Luma said as she tried to pull away from the Ace Trainer, only for the Trainer to keep pulling her in closer. As she prepared to rebuttal by raising her hand, she felt her hand being released from the Ace Trainer’s grip, and for her other hand to be taken and pulled into the crowd, startling the girl and causing a whine to escape from her lips as she clung to her mysterious savior. That mysterious savior clad in white slacks and a matching blazer with a black button down and a golden Aether Pin attached to the fancy jacket. 

“I may not be an adult, but hopefully I was some help,” Luma looked up and saw Gladion, who’s face had flushed a sudden shade of red as he glanced at the helpless champion, who clung to his blazer, with a face as red as his. 

“Uh. Oh. Wow. Th-Thank you, Gladion. N-Never expected you to come here…” 

“Y-Yeah… No problem.” The two were speechless for words as they gazed into each other’s eyes and nothing but thoughts of each other and how they looked had circulated in their heads like that of a hive mind from the way Luma had looked up towards Gladion, to Gladion trying to figure out just what else to say to her. 

“I know you want to avoid dancing, but…” Gladion had silenced himself swiftly and held Luma’s hand gently in his larger one. much gently than how the Ace Trainer did, which had somehow put Luma at ease as his attention had took hold of her as he raised his available hand. 

“Care to dance?” Luma was hesitant as she looked down at her feet and then toward her’s and Gladion’s joint hands. Although she was nervous, she felt more relaxed than she did when this party had started. But despite this, she looked up to Gladion and smiled softly, accepting his proposal.   
“Okay. I can’t guarantee that I’ll be a good dancer though…” 

“Hmph. Just follow my lead,” Gladion had placed his arm around Luma’s waste as Luma had placed a hand on his chest, the two swaying along with the soft music. As the two danced, Rotom who had floated above the dance floor, had recorded and took pictures of this moment that Luma and Gladion had together. Even catching a moment that Luma had rested her head atop of Gladion’s chest and allowing herself to get lost in this moment smiling.

“Luma.” 

“Hmm?” 

“Thinking back from the day we first met, you really are just a typical trainer.” 

“What makes you say that?” 

“I’m not done. You may be just a typical trainer. But I feel like there’s more to you than meets the eye.” 

“You really think so?”

There was a small pause and the two stopped dancing and pulled away from one another, their hands still joint and their Olivine and Pale Aquamarine eyes had stared back at one another. However, Gladion’s seemed nervous as he slightly increased his grip on the girl’s hand. 

“G-Gladion? Is something the matter?” 

“Luma… There’s something I need to tell you,” He paused once more all before finally having the strength of confessing, confusing the girl even more. However, before Gladion could even allow a single word to escape from his mouth, the moment would abruptly come to an end as fireworks had started to shoot from one point of the sky and exploding into colorful flowers of sparks and flames. As this had come to passed, everyone who had been dancing had stood still and watched as the flames in the sky had blossomed one by one as they were shot into the sky, bedazzling it and catching the attention and eyes of all who lived in Melemele Island. 

“Look at this! Everybody’s so fired up. Woo! We’ve got the birth of Alola’s strongest ever Trainer to celebrate, after all!” 

“Professor Kukui! Thank you. But man… this really is quite a lot, don’t you think?” Luma questioned, gaining an instantaneous reply from the Professor. 

“Hah! Nonsense! Besides, you got a lot of people who’ll be working towards your title. I hope you’re ready.” 

“Yeah. Will do,” Luma sighed and looked as Hau had came up to Luma and placed his hands behind his back, confirming this fact. 

“I may have lost, but I’m gonna keep working hard to be totally in sync with my partners and pull out my Pokemon’s full power! And THEN… I’m coming for you! Champion Luma!” 

“He won’t be the only one. Once I get stronger, I’ll be coming for you,” Gladion muttered to Luma, allowing what he needed to say be lost to the island winds, causing the girl to giggle nervously along with the loud cackling of Kahuna Hala and paler comparisons to other trainers who may come after Luma soon. 

“Haha, don’t think I’ll go down so easily. I won’t be such a pushover just because I’m the Champion. It’s like I said before, the next journey for me has only just begun!” 

“Luma! Sorry! I mean, Champion! I’m sure everybody here wants to see your partners, too! Come on and show us those partners that were there for so many of your discoveries, new experiences, and adventures on your island challenges!” Kukui shouted, with Rotom flying by with Luma’s bag and throwing it towards its’ trainer, catching her by surprise as she caught the bag. However, she nodded towards everyone, took out her Pokeballs, and with a large smirk on her face, threw her Pokeballs in the air and brought out her team of Pokemon, much to the delight of many, faces old and new. And in the distance, Luma’s mother had smiled brightly and thought to herself. 

“You’re positively glowing. Luma. I’m so happy for you. More than you can ever imagine!” 

The next day would be promising as the sun had risen, and with Luma's Island Challenge coming to an end, it was nothing but smooth sailing coming her way. The next day, her mother and her decided to look out at the night sky, from tomorrow's point of view.

"Now, I wonder what will happen today..."

"Beats me. I honestly have no idea," Luma responded to her mother with the utmost optimism. Her smile as wide as ever.

Until the doorbell chimed.

"Was that the doorbell?"

"Let me get it," Luma said, and made haste toward the door. Only for Hau to come bursting from outside in a frenzy and Gladion following him shortly after. 

"Hau?! We seriously need to lock that door, don't we? And Gladion? What are you guys doing here?” 

"Mrowr?" Meowth chimed.

"Forget about the door, Luma!!! This is a disaster! A total disaster!"

"What? Malasada shop is out of Malasada?"

“Well, actually that would be the worst thing ever, but THAT’S NOT THE POINT, LUMA!” Hau shouted, grabbing Luma’s arm and trying to grab the girl, only for Gladion to clear of the situation as they ran out of the house and toward Hau’Oli City. 

“Lillie is leaving for Kanto?! But why?!”

“That’s what I wanna know, Luma! That’s why we need to get to the ferry terminal right away!” Hau shouted as the three had ran into town. By the time they had reached the pier, Lillie was just about to be on her way to her next journey. 

"LILLIE!" Hau shouted.

"Lillie?" Luma whispered under her breath.

The three were out of breath, but still managed to recover as soon as Lillie turned to see them. 

"Brother. Hau."

She paused and looked at everyone around her. Then the girl behind them.

"Luma... I'm sorry..." she said. Regret in her voice.

"You didn't tell us! Why?!

"I... have to go to Kanto. To help my mother get better... but more than that... to help myself get stronger," she clutched her backpack.

"But... aren't your sad? Leaving Alola?" Luma asked.

"Of course, I am. But the thought of going to Kanto also fills my heart with excitement! That's why..."

Lillie hesitated and took a breath, looking to her brother's direction.

"I'm going to become a real trainer. And meet all kinds of wonderful Pokémon... I'm going to travel all around Kanto, just like we did here on Alola for your island challenges!" She declared and looked to Luma's direction.

"That's... that's amazing Lillie. You've really grown," she responded.

"No matter what happens on my journey... I'm going to be okay. Because of the smiles that you shared with me..."

Lillie walked toward the three of them and pulled them into a group hug. Although Gladion was displeased, he still smiled. Even though it was solemn. Hau on the other hand, was trying to keep a smile, but looked as if he was about to cry. While Luma had stayed in between but had no idea how to react. On one hand, she was happy for her friend. But on the other, she was sad to see her go.

"Because of the three of you... I can do this... I can take the next step... thank you so much!"

Lillie backed away and grabbed the sleeves of her backpack with gusto and made her second declaration.

"And that's why someday... someday I'll come back to Alola again! I don't know how long it will be , but I will come back. And we'll all have a battle royal! And I'll go do the island challenges."

"But... but I haven't gotten to say any of the things I wanted to say to you! So... so... gaaahh!! Why is this so hard?!" Hau shouted, tears streaming down. Although Lillie did respond with resting her hand on his shoulder and nodded.

"I promise... I will come back... and when I come back, you'll be an amazing trainer. More amazing that you are now... maybe even a Kahuna... so please... don't be too sad when I'm gone... okay?"

Hau instantly pulled her in to a hug and sobbed like a baby onto the crook of her neck. Lillie hugged back and patted Hau on his back, trying her best to comfort him. It also looked as though Lillie gave him something and were whispering to one another.

"They're hugging a bit too long... don't you think?" Gladion muttered, his voice impatient, and an aura of jealously just oozing out of him.

"Aww, is someone just a wee bit jealous?" Luma teased and lightly elbowed the edgy boy, only for him to respond with a scowl.

"Luma..."

Luma looked to see Lillie walking toward her and handing her a stuffed Clefairy and looked down at her bag.

"Can you... take out that master ball Gladion gave you?"

She complied and took out the master ball, but instead of the usual "M" on it, a crescent moon had replaced it.

"Is this... Lunala?"

She confirmed that it was with just one tiny nod.

"It is... it would be unfair to start off with a Legendary Pokémon in my new journey... so... I want you to take care of Nebby..."

"But... I can't take this... this is Nebby. The same Pokémon that escaped from your bag countless times. The same Nebby that would run through Melemele Meadow. The same Nebby who evolved into Lunala!" Luma cried out, shaking her arm.

"I know... but because it's that Nebby, I don't know anyone else better than you to watch over Nebby... and along with Nebby... it may look a little warn, but thats because that doll was my most beloved treasure... the original Nebby... to me," Lillie nodded.

"But... but..."

Lillie looked at Luma with soft eyes and took her hands.

"I'm glad... to had met you... that... that you saved Nebby... you inspired me to do so much and change for the better. And to be the very first friendship you've ever made..."

Luma instantly felt tears welling down to her cheeks, her eyes staring at her. Her lids being stuck open.

"Gladion... I've said all I need to say... back home... anything else before I go?" She asked.

"Just... good luck. And that you'll do great out there," he responded.

Lillie hugged her brother, and shortly after, the other two jumped them for another hug. Seeing as the ship to Kanto was coming to view.

"This is... good-bye... I suppose."

The three nodded and finally parted ways. Seeing Lillie off. And waving each other goodbye.

"LIIIIILIEEEE!! You... IF YOU... SEE SOMEONE BY THE NAME OF ELIO, ASK HIM FOR HELP!! HES A REALLY STRONG PERSON THAT MIGHT HELP YOU!!" Luma shouted at the top of her lungs, seeing the boat fading out into the deep blue.

The three, along with Kukui had sat at the edge of the dock, watching the hues of the sun rise slowly come to view. Soft cries from Hau can be heard along with the ocean waves crashing along the surface.

"Hau, I know what it's like when you can't help but cry. But you know... when you're saying goodbye to someone you love, you gotta show them one last smile, yeah?" Kukui spoke.

"I think... I'll go see my gramps... Luma. Gladion... see you soon."

The three saw him off, looking back to the ocean.

"Guess I know how he felt... when we left here..." Luma talked to herself, only for Gladion and Kukui to overhear.

"When your brother saw you off, yeah, cousin?" Kukui asked.

"Yeah..."

Kanto, 1 1/2 months ago

"You sure you got everything?" A young man clad in a black and blue cap asked a young girl, who wore a yellow floral shirt, green shorts, red shoes, and a floral beanie, who was clad in a silver band bracelet, and seemed ready for adventure.

"Yes..." she answered as she carried her suitcases.

"And you-"

"I got it Elio, no need to worry... yeesh.."

Their mother had come with two tickets in her hand and looked down at her children.

"Look at you two... full blooded trainers. Your fathers would be so proud," she said.

"Are you sure you can't come along, Elio? Alola's gonna be quite the paradise..."

"Wish I could, but I got some business to take care of here in Kanto. But you guys have fun... and try not to be such a shut in like you were here."

"Ah! You jerk!" She punched his arm playfully, yet hard. Which caused him to writhe up in pain, yet still having a melancholy smile.

"I'll... good luck... I'll come visit, okay?"

"Okay..."

Present time

"It was something... but some weird stuff did happen. I mean, my brother insisted that I put on some color contacts and change my name, but my mom figured that he was just exaggerating," Luma had joked around.

"So, what now?" She asked.

"Now? I think its time to head back. There's business to be done, and I'm sure as hell that Faba's not gonna do it, unless it's to sabotage," Gladion responded and got up, calling his charizard.

"See you later... champion..."

"Take care... president..."

With that... the two had parted ways. And although one tale had ended... another begins....

Unknown location

"I'm getting some high readings from multiple locations around the Alola Region!" Said a man.

"Is it like anything in Castelia? Or at Kalos?!" Questioned a woman.

"No... these are... different... Ultra Beast readings..."

There was a silence. The man had picked up a newspaper and read the headline.

"History Made.... a New Champion is Born... the New Champion is said to be someone fresh from the island challenges of the Alola Region. Her power and smarts as a Pokémon trainer are none that the world had seen..."

"She's so young... you're not thinking of..."

The man gets up and looks at the picture of the new champion, and back at a map of the entire world.

"Back your bags, Anabel... we’re going to Alola..."

 

-Pokémon Sun and Moon: Champion of the Stars VOLUME 1- Main Story- 

Fin


End file.
